As if this comes without an shock, on Friday night, Jerry Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of the 48 counts of child sexual molestation. With the verdict, Sandusky now faces up to 442 years in prison.
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The jury deliberated for about 20 hours after a trial that went on for eight days. It took six counts of “guilty” by the jury foreman before a “not guilty” was read for the first time. Yes, he did read all 48 counts.
This means that Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator sexually abused children over a 15 year period, using his stature as a local coaching hero and his position with the Second Mile charity to target and then violate at-risk kids from the local area.
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In the courtroom with Sandusky, was his wife, Dottie, and three of their four adopted sons, and one adopted daughter. Matt Sandusky, who came spoke out on Thursday that his adopted father had molested him, was not present for the verdict. After the verdict was read, Sandusky was taken out by handcuffs. He will be sentenced at a later date. While the precise number of years he faces in prison is unclear, but legal experts say he should be enough to lock the 68 year old man away for life.
Victim No. 6 – one of eight victims to testify – and his family were in court. He put his head down and wept uncontrollably as the verdict was read. “I’m just overwhelmed,” he said afterward.
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Judge Cleland said Sandusky would be sentenced in about 90 days. Sandusky gave a quick wave to family and was taken to Centre County jail in handcuffs.
Joe Amendola Sandusky’s defense attorney, said Sandusky plans to appeal.
The family of Paterno, who died exactly five months before Sandusky’s conviction, released a statement saying: “Although we understand the task of healing is just beginning, today’s verdict is an important milestone. The community owes a measure of gratitude to the jurors for their diligent service. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims and their families.”
In a statement, Penn State praised the accusers who testified and said that it planned to invite the victims of Sandusky’s abuse to participate in a private program to address their concerns and compensate them for claims related to the school.
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