After less than 21 hours of deliberation, jurors in Bellefonte, Pa. have found former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 felony and misdemeanor counts of molesting and raping 10 young boys over the course of 15 years.
The charges included 26 felonies, 15 of those being first-degree felonies, and 22 misdemeanors. First-degree felonies are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Nine of the twelve jurors have ties to the Penn State community. Sandusky maintained his innocence throughout the entire trial, but Sandusky’s lawyer said on Friday he’d be shocked and “die of a heart attack” if his client were acquitted on all counts.
The scandal, dubbed by Sports Illustrated as the worst college sports scandal of all time, rocked the university community across America with graphic and appalling details of tickle fights, “soap battles” in the shower, and love letters before escalating to Sandusky’s own adopted son preparing to testify.
Sandusky was immediately taken into custody to begin his prison sentence, a minimum of 60 years.
“We were attempting to climb Mount Everest from the bottom, and we obviously didn’t make it,” said Joe Amendola, Sandusky’s defense attorney. He confirmed that the defense will be seeking an appeal, based on trial issues and evidentiary issues.
“Does [45 of 48 counts found guilty] prove to me my client is sick? No. There are lots of people sitting in jail who are innocent,” Amendola said. “I believe the jury acted genuinely and in good faith. I don’t have any problem with the jury’s verdict. We had a good jury.”
NBC News correspondent Ron Allen described the tone in Bellefonte as one of bittersweet relief, with the impression that people just want the whole thing to be over. But the ordeal will haunt Penn State and the victims for some time to come. NBC News National Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff, who has followed the story since it first broke last November, will continue to follow the ongoing investigations into high-ranking officials, including Penn State president Graham Spanier and several administrators at Second Mile. He noted the increased likelihood of more victims coming forward.
Linda Kelly, Pennsylvania Attorney General, thanked the prosecution team for executing justice and offered “thanks to all the young men who came forward to bravely testify during this trial and to finally put a stop to all the crimes that have been committed by this defendant…most of us cannot fully comprehend what they endured while testifying in that packed courtroom.”
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How come only 45?
Witnesses are never perfect.
This is an illness and the three of them should seek help..
Those were my first word ? only 45 it should be all of them..And cant believe his wife didnt know.
Too bad that the death penalty doesn't apply in this case.
No life was taken and we should respect that.
On the other hand, Sandusky is either going to go into solitary confinement or get raped.
I don't take pleasure knowing this, but that might help the victims during recovery.
The thing that we should focus on are the victims and the help they should be getting so that this kind of problem stops in our generation.
Not just the ones at Penn State.
All victims.
Nothing is served for the victim.....you can undo what sandusky did. At least he will not be walking the street. One down and many more to find and stop. Parents beware.
MOM tell the truth, once again, there is really no way to give back the innocence taking.
And yes he will hate taking showers in prison!!
Sandusky got a death sentence, regardless of whether he is put in the general population or not, he will die in prison.
Might be funny to put Sandusky up on the screen and run the "squeal piggy squeal" soundtrack from Deliverance.
No ... wait.
That would only be funny on Faux !News.
You have to wonder who abused him when he was a child. Psychiatrists say those abused grow up to abuse. How many more people are out there doing this everyday, grooming the next generation to be abusers. I'm glad he is off the street and has messed up his last victim. I frankly don't care what happens to him in prison. He deserves to suffer the way those poor kids did.
Ditto.
YES - Now that He is Convicted - they need to go after ALL Of the people that helped to Cover-up and or Ignore and turn their backs for him - EVERYONE !!!!
He looks surprised in his mug shot. I hope he saw a picture of the crowd cheering at his conviction,
Put the guy behind bars for life...In the end, he will get was in coming to him.
Double entendre purposely made...
just saying...
I'm searching for video of the Matthew Miller interview from yesterday, but can't seem to find it. Great interview with information that needs to get to the public to show just how political this Holder witch hunt really is.
jmartin,
if you find it, please post it.
thanks.
yes please put this out there.Its nothing short of a WITCH HUNT BY THE GOP...Tell them to lay off the witsh and PASS THE JOBS BILL.
Amendola also needs to realize that there are plenty of guilty people out there who should be in jail but aren't. I believe that Sandusky was guilty. How many more kids did he abuse that we don't know about? None of the witnesses sounded like they were after money like Sandusky thought.
Well he will be the one getting poked in dookie chute in prison. Hope he likes it because Bubba and Tiny going to stick it in him.
my gut tells me that Sandusky wasn't the only one involved in this. I just can't believe that as many people knew that this didn't come out open years before. the top don't turn a blind eye just for one even though that one might be in the center of the powerful.
So obvious but so unthinkable.
Disturbing to think about investigating all the people that came in contact with the people running the place.
As we have watched this unfold from the beginning it is finally good to see him go to prison for rest of his life and those once little boys finally free from the nightmare called Sandusky ! The sad thing as you saw him taken away i do not think he thinks he did anything wrong even after all of this. I saw no remorse or shame.
True.
Would be nice to see the social security problem and the middle east problem work out well.
I am constantly amazed at how many Americans are capable of reading minds, simply by looking at a person's face on TV. With so many Americans having this kind of talent you'd think there would be less crime, sexual abuse, political corruption and economic failure since all of these things could be predicted by the millions of Americans who claim to be able to read minds. Republicans seem to have this capability more than Democrats although I don't understand why they seem to get so damned much wrong. Lefties who possess this power really seem to get it wrong, perhaps there might actually come a time when peoples actions are judged, whether than what we perceive the motive for their actions might be based on our own fears.
Birds of a feather.....Still the all time winners!
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If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
http://bible.cc/matthew/5-29.htm
Sandusky may need some help...
Now that Sandusky been brought to justice can we go after the Atty. General who knew it was happening? Joe Paterno got fired because he didn't do enough yet Tom Corbett who was the Atty. General at the time was investigating it has never had to answer for his part.
He didn't get fired and he should have! Then we wouldn't have such a crappy Gov. sending PA to hell in a handbasket. Not only did he know about it he accepted $25,000 from board members of Sandusky's Foundation.
Please tell me why he doesn't have to answer for not telling anyone and why no one in the news media, not even Ed or Rachel, are talking about this? It was only on sports networks. PA is a key state for this election and this Gov. is doing everything he can, ( redistricting, etc.) to make sure PA goes to Romney.
If Paterno got fired shouldn't he? I want him investigated and someone in the media to start talking about this...c'mon already Corbett needs to go and see justice come his way...but then I guess he can just close his eyes.