Spanier, 72, did not testify at his trial, but spoke at sentencing, telling the judge that he regretted not intervening more forcefully. He said little in the Harrisburg courtroom Wednesday, beyond telling Boccabella he remains a tenured faculty member. A university spokesperson this week described Spanier’s status as being on administrative leave and not teaching classes.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro issued a statement after the hearing referring to the consequences of failing to protect children.
“Today marks the end of a long road towards justice for the children endangered by Mr. Spanier’s inaction — choosing to cover up the abuse at the hands of Jerry Sandusky rather than reporting it to law enforcement,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro’s office in January asked Boccabella to enforce the sentence after the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a magistrate judge’s decision that had thrown out Spanier’s conviction and ordered a new trial.
On Wednesday, Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte told Boccabella that the Centre County Correctional Facility, where Spanier will serve his sentence, is equipped to handle Spanier’s health issues.
“The victims of the defendant’s crime do not believe that he’s ever going to be held accountable for the crime he’s been convicted of,” Schulte said before the judge announced his decision.
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