Oklahoma Defense Lawyers Question Wisdom of Sandusky Interview
Sex crime defense attorneys in Oklahoma and around the country are watching the unfolding of the Penn State sex abuse scandal along with the rest of the nation. In a case that has left so many Americans baffled by the apparent lack of accountability, a recent move by the accused has criminal defense attorneys scratching their heads. Jerry Sandusky, the man accused of sexually abusing children for at least fifteen years and charged in forty criminal acts, granted an interview.
To Bob Costas.
With the consent of his attorney.
In fact, according to Bob Costas, the attorney arranged the interview, asking the noted sports broadcaster, "What if I can get Sandusky on the phone?" Sandusky's attorney, Joseph Amendola, had his client speaking to a worldwide audience via Bob Costas approximately 10-15 minutes later. The unscheduled interview, which is largely considered ill-advised to anyone remotely aware of criminal law, was a maneuver that perplexed even the interviewer. Bob Costas is reported as saying, "I'm thinking, 'I wonder from your standpoint whether that's the smartest thing to do,' but at the same time, sure if you want to do it. Let's get him on the phone."
Though Sandusky proclaimed his innocence throughout the interview, it did little, if anything, to clear his name in the eyes of the public. Many prosecutors and defense attorneys not associated with the case say that the interview was particularly damaging to the defense. Sandusky's responses, though denying any criminal sexual abuse, will be easily used against him at trial.
As Lynn Abraham, a former Philadelphia district attorney, told the media, "Mr. Sandusky goes on worldwide television and admits he did everything the prosecution claims he did, except for the ultimate act of rape or sodomy? If I were a prosecutor, I'd be stunned."
Jerry Sandusky's interview answers were, in fact, stunning. His--and his sex crime defense attorney's--complete disregard for the right to remain silent has certainly given weight to the prosecution. His actions epitomize the common wording of Miranda rights; his words can and will be used against him in a court of law.
Though Sandusky denied any sexual contact with minor boys, he admitted to actions which are questionable at best. Saying he is innocent of criminal charges, Sandusky admitted, "I could say that I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them, and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact." Many people say the most damning part of the interview was not so much in his words, but in his floundering over a particular question. When Bob Costas asked Sandusky if he was sexually attracted to young boys, Sandusky appeared to stumble over the answer, first repeating the question, then responding, "I enjoy young people; I like to be around them. But no, I am not sexually attracted to young boys."
There is no question that Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State sex abuse scandal is a case unique by its public scrutiny and by the media frenzy surrounding the case. It is generally advisable in any criminal case for the defendant to remain silent, and certainly not to grant interviews on such a grand scale. Celebrity criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos (noted for his defense of O.J. Simpson), said he would "knock [his] client over the head with a two-by-four" before he allowed such an interview, but notes that the outcry over the case and immediate call for conviction make the Penn State case an "unusual case" that may call for "unusual tactics."
Though not every child sex abuse case gains the media attention and notoriety of the Sandusky case, virtually all child sex abuse cases share the public conviction of the accused before any legal judgment is rendered. Locally, it is important to find an Oklahoma sex crime lawyer who is experienced in criminal defense of child sex abuse charges, who demonstrates continued success in the defense of his clients, and who understands the laws regarding the rights of the accused and how to uphold and protect those rights throughout the criminal justice system. For more information or to speak with a sex crime lawyer in Oklahoma City, contact the law office of Phillips & Bailey.