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Jerry Sandusky Found Guilty Of Sexually Abusing 10 Young Boys
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 23, 2012
Modified Jun 23, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 23, 2012
Modified Jun 23, 2012
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Former assistant Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted Friday night of sexually molesting 10 young boys. Sandusky, 68, was found guilty of 45 of 48 counts of sexual assault; he faces up to 442 years in prison, and will likely spend the rest of his life in jail. Sandusky’s lawyer, Joseph Amendola, said the family "is very disappointed. We had a tidal wave of public opinion against Jerry Sandusky." He added, "You know folks, there are a lot of people sitting in jails who are innocent."
Eight of the ten victims testified during the trial, revealing how Sandusky abused his position in the Penn State football program—as well as his charity The Second Mile, which he founded in 1977—in order to befriend and ultimately abuse the children. Many victims said that during sleepovers at the Sandusky home, Sandusky would sexually abuse them in the basement. One said he screamed for help, but no one came to his aid. One victim told jurors how Sandusky forced him to perform oral sex when he travelled with him to a football bowl game in Texas. Victims read Sandusky's "creepy" letters of apologies, including ones in which he compared himself to Forrest Gump. And yesterday, after deliberations had started, one of Sandusky's adopted children revealed that he too had been abused.
Among other things, prosecutors seized on Sandusky's bizarre interview with NBC's Bob Costas, during which he was asked whether he was sexually attracted to boys. “Sexually attracted, you know, I, I enjoy young people,” Sandusky answered. “I, I love to be around them. No, I’m not sexually attracted to young boys.” In his closing argument, prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan III said the response pointed to Sandusky's guilt: “I would think that the automatic response, if someone asks you if you’re a criminal, a pedophile, a child molester or anything along those lines would be: ‘You’re crazy. No. Are you nuts?’ ” McGettigan said.
Jurors deliberated for about 20 hours before coming to their decision. Linda Kelly, the Pennsylvania attorney general, said, “I think the case has been very significant with the problems associated with child sex abuse cases, and it’s raised a lot of awareness.” Kelly also thanked the "brave" men who testified: “One of the recurring themes in this case was, ‘Who would believe a kid?’” she said. “The answer is ‘We here in Bellefonte, Pa., would believe a kid.’”
Penn State said in a statement after the verdict: “The legal process has spoken, and we have tremendous respect for the men who came forward to tell their stories publicly. No verdict can undo the pain and suffering caused by Mr. Sandusky, but we do hope this judgment helps the victims and their families along their path to healing.”
Tagged
child abuse
jerry sandusky
pedophilia
penn state
sexual abuse
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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