Summary: Jerry Sandusky, 82, has withdrawn his petition for a new state trial days before a key accuser, Ryan Rittmeyer, was scheduled to publicly recant testimony tied to six of the 45 counts in Sandusky's 2012 conviction. Sandusky says he will seek federal review, contending Pennsylvania judges are biased. A judge has insisted Sandusky confirm on the record that he understands and agrees to drop the state petition; the withdrawal does not alter his current 30-to-60-year sentence.
Sandusky Withdraws State Retrial Bid Days Before Key Accuser's Recantation; Judge Seeks On-Record Confirmation
Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives at the Centre County Courthouse on November 22, 2019. - Gene J. Puskar/AP/File
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article contains graphic descriptions of alleged sexual abuse.
Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant coach convicted in 2012 on 45 counts of sexual abuse, has abruptly withdrawn a pending bid for a new state trial just days before a key accuser was scheduled to publicly recant. Sandusky, now 82, says he will instead pursue his claims in federal court, arguing Pennsylvania judges are biased and that his federal claims deserve review by a fresh panel of judges.
What Changed
Sandusky's legal team had relied in large part on a 2025 affidavit from Ryan Rittmeyer—identified at trial as Alleged Victim No. 10—who now says he regrets his role in the prosecution and questions the accuracy of his earlier testimony. Rittmeyer was linked to six of the 45 counts that produced Sandusky's 30-to-60-year sentence.
Graham Spanier, former president of Pennsylvania State University. - Hunter Martin/Getty Images
With Rittmeyer's scheduled courtroom recantation five days away, Sandusky's attorneys unexpectedly withdrew the petition for a new state trial. In an audio statement recorded from prison, Sandusky said: "Every one of those issues can be heard together by judges who have not already made up their minds about me. I'm innocent. I intend to be alive when the truth is heard."
Judge Demands On-Record Confirmation
Despite the withdrawal, the Centre County judge declined to cancel a hearing set for Tuesday. Prosecutors requested that Sandusky appear—remotely from prison—to confirm on the record that he discussed the withdrawal with counsel, understands the consequences, and agrees to it. Lawyers for the state warned that the court should document the defendant's informed decision.
The Rittmeyer Affidavit And Defense Claims
In his sworn affidavit, Rittmeyer says he was encouraged to reconstruct memories and that trauma-based memory theories played a role at trial. He wrote that he was told trauma could fragment memory and that he "could safely affirm details I did not fully recall." Rittmeyer also says he was "induced" to testify in ways prosecutors expected and that he later regretted participating in what he now views as a flawed prosecution.
Head coach Joe Paterno of the Penn State Nittany Lions peers back at the clock during the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas. - Brian Bahr/Getty Images/File
Sandusky's defense attorneys have argued that prosecutors, including the late lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan, relied on disputed theories about repressed or fragmented memories and that some accusers were prompted to recall details they had not previously disclosed. The defense also pointed to civil settlements and asked whether financial incentives influenced accusers—an argument prosecutors dismissed at trial.
Background And Wider Fallout
Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 of sexually abusing 10 boys over roughly 15 years, many of whom were connected to The Second Mile, a charity he founded. The scandal rocked Penn State, led to criminal charges and sentences for university officials, and prompted internal and external investigations into the school's response. The university paid more than $109 million in settlements related to allegations against Sandusky.
After the conviction, Penn State commissioned a 267-page report by former FBI director Louis Freeh that criticized senior university leadership for failing to act on reports about Sandusky. The findings remain contested: the university did not formally accept the report's conclusions, and family members of Joe Paterno have rejected its characterization of his role.
Penn State employees cover the Joe Paterno statue outside of Beaver Stadium before removing it on July 22, 2012, in State College, Pennsylvania. - Christopher Weddle/Centre Daily Times/TNS/Getty Images/File
What Happens Next
Sandusky's attorneys say they will pursue federal court review of constitutional and other claims. The immediate procedural step is Tuesday's hearing, where a semi-retired judge from outside Centre County, Maureen Skerda, will confirm Sandusky's withdrawal of the state-court petition on the record. Prosecutors have asked the court to ensure the record reflects that Sandusky made an informed choice to abandon the state-court route.
This development does not change Sandusky's existing sentence. He remains incarcerated under the 30-to-60-year term imposed after the 2012 conviction and resentencing proceedings.
Contributors: CNN's Lauren del Valle contributed to reporting referenced in this article.
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