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Disgraced former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky is scheduled to appear in court next month. The 82-year-old, who was convicted in 2012 for sexually abusing young boys, will face an evidentiary hearing on September 8, 2026, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The hearing follows new developments where one of Sandusky's accusers, identified as R.R., is expected to recant his testimony.
According to court documents, R.R. initially testified that he met Sandusky at the Second Mile Charity in 1997, where the alleged abuse began. However, R.R. has since claimed that prosecutors coached him to alter his testimony. He recanted his allegations in an affidavit submitted in June 2025, stating that he was misled during the testimony process. R.R.'s estranged wife, a Sandusky family investigator, and a former state prosecutor are also expected to testify at the hearing.
Sandusky's legal team hopes the recantation will bolster their petition for a new trial. They plan to present testimony from R.R. and others, though the state is attempting to limit the scope of the testimony to only the recantation claims. The hearing will focus solely on these new claims, despite previous allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and witness handling by Sandusky's attorneys.
Sandusky, who maintains his innocence, was originally convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. His conviction was based on testimonies from eight victims, including R.R., who alleged abuse during Sandusky's tenure as Penn State's defensive coordinator.