On Friday, June 22nd former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse. He was only acquitted of 3 out of the whopping 48 counts originally brought against him. Sandusky, who is currently aged 68, had his bail immediately repealed and was taken to the jail in Centre County, Pennsylvania, where he will await sentencing. It is likely that Sandusky will spend the rest of his life in prison.
The sexual abuse carried out by Jerry Sandusky spanned a fifteen year time period, from 1994 to 2009. His case was brought to court when the parents of a 15 year old boy reported an incident of inappropriate contact to the police in 2008. Sandusky had apparently met this victim (known in court proceedings as victim 1) through the Second Mile program, a charity program he had initiated to help troubled boys.
A troubling development in the investigation against Sandusky occurred in December of 2010. It was discovered that some individuals had in fact had knowledge about Sandusky’s heinous crimes and failed to bring them to light. Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary admitted to having seen Sandusky having anal intercourse with a young boy in the Lasch Football Building at Penn State on February 9th, 2001. He reported it to Joe Paterno, the head coach, who shared the information with Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Shultz. However, the only action taken by these individuals was to instruct Sandusky not to bring any boys onto the Penn State campus. Essentially, they were turning a blind eye to Jerry Sandusky’s crimes.
After a three year investigation, the grand jury determined that Sandusky had singled out eight boys for assault. What’s more, five of these victims met Sandusky through his Second Mile program. On the 4th of November 2011 Sandusky was indicted on 40 counts of sex crimes. Here is a breakdown of the charges against Sandusky:
Victim 1
Count 1: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 2: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 3: Indecent assault (felony)
Count 4: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 5: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 6: Endangering welfare of children (felony)
Victim 2
Count 7: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 8: Indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 9: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 10: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 11: Endangering welfare of children (misdemeanor)
Victim 3
Count 12: Indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 13: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 14: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 15: Endangering welfare of children (felony)
Victim 4
Count 16: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 17: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 18: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 19: Aggravated indecent assault (felony)
Count 20: Indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 21: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 22: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 23: Endangering welfare of children (felony)
Victim 5
Count 24: Indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 25: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 26: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 27: Endangering welfare of children (felony)
Victim 6
Count 28: Indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 29: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 30: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 31: Endangering welfare of children (misdemeanor)
Victim 7
Count 32: Criminal attempt to commit indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 33: WITHDRAWN BY PROSECUTORS (unlawful contact with minors)
Count 34: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 35: Endangering welfare of children (misdemeanor)
Victim 8
Count 36: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (felony)
Count 37: Indecent assault (misdemeanor)
Count 38: Unlawful contact with minors (felony)
Count 39: Corruption of minors (misdemeanor)
Count 40: Endangering welfare of children (misdemeanor)
On the Thursday before the verdict was presented, one of Sandusky’s adopted children, Matt, stated that he was willing to take the stand against his father, claiming that he was inappropriately touched as well.
After the conclusion of the suit, Sandusky’s defense lawyers announced that they plan to file an appeal, claiming that Sandusky had ineffective counsel. However, the motion cannot be filed until after sentencing occurs 90 days from now. According to Sandusky’s legal team, they had made an attempt to withdraw from the case the day before jury selection began, stating they were not prepared and it would be ‘unethical’ to proceed. Their request was denied.
Appealing a case such as this may be a difficult feat, acknowledged by many legal professionals as well as Sandusky’s team. When it comes to this case, there is so much overwhelming evidence, such as the victims’ testimony, that an appeal will not alter the end result.
Although Sandusky has already been charged with 45 counts of sexual crimes, there is much more left to prosecute. Firstly, he may still be tried for the inappropriate contact he had with his adopted son, Matt Sandusky, which is considered to be incest. In addition, Sandusky faces charges for his actions outside of Centre County. These include hotel rooms in other states where Sandusky brought young boys to accompany him to Penn State bowl games.
Finally, the university had not yet received its share of the blame. After all, two of its former administrators had been, at the very least, enabling the actions of Jerry Sandusky. Furthermore, at least two of its campus areas were used by Sandusky when he was committing his crimes. The charges against Shultz and Curley include perjury and failure to report abuse.
The case of Jerry Sandusky is a gruesome and saddening one of a man who took advantage of young, troubled boys over the course of decades. Many families suffered as a result of this man’s actions and the passive attitude of his colleagues. However, the strict sentencing and scope of the investigation gives future generations hope that the legal system can deal justice. And hopefully, Sandusky’s punishment will act as a warning to other potential sexual offenders.
For more information:
Criminal complaint against Sandusky: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=6270
Grand Jury Findings: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Press/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf
Transcript of Proceedings Against Schultz and Curley: http://media.pennlive.com/midstate_impact/other/Curley-Schultz-Hearing-Transcript.pdf