Jerry Sandusky thinks he can get a fair trial with jurors from Centre County.
His attorney, Joe Amendola, even suggests delaying the child sex abuse cases to let the publicity taper off.
The comments were in a response Amendola filed Wednesday, arguing against the prosecution’s request for an out-of-county jury to hear the cases.
In their request, prosecutors had cited intense media coverage and Centre County residents’ intimate connection to Penn State as reasons they couldn’t be fair jurors.
Amendola agreed the coverage has been intense, but he argued it’s extended beyond Centre County.
He disagreed about the connection between county residents and the university.
Sandusky “believes selecting jurors from a county outside Centre County will involve the same difficulties that the parties and the
(c)ourt will face in selecting a Centre County jury, and the jurors from any other county in Pennsylvania will face the same challenges and conflicts in being fair and impartial jurors as Centre County jurors will face,” Amendola wrote.
Amendola also filed his objection to prosecutors’ strongly worded opposition to a request to modify Sandusky’s bail. Prosecutors are seeking tougher restrictions that would bar him from leaving his home except to get medical treatment.
Sandusky wants to have contact with his grandchildren and family friends and be able to leave his home with his defense team.
But prosecutors argued that he’s on house arrest and lucky not to be in jail. They raised safety concerns that Sandusky had been seen outside his home watching children play on the playground of Lemont Elementary School, which borders his home.
Sandusky denies he’s a risk and said there’s no basis for prosecutors to seek harsher restrictions.
A hearing is set for Friday to address the prosecution’s request for an out-of-county jury and the terms of Sandusky’s bail.
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