Cheers of jubilation could be heard outside the courtroom tonight as a judge and jury handed down the life-changing verdict in the Jerry Sandusky case: guilty on 45 of 48 counts of sexual abuse against 10 boys, occurring over a period of 15 years.
Sandusky reportedly showed little emotion when the verdict was read and made his way calmly to a waiting car outside, accompanied by officers who escorted him to jail. He will stay there around three months, awaiting sentencing. And word is, the sentences will be long enough to keep him in prison until he dies.
The prosecution called upon former Penn State employee Mike McQueary to testify that he found Sandusky having sex with a young boy in the school showers; his allegations that Penn State Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno didn’t do anything after being told about the abuse led to Paterno’s termination from the university. Unfortunately, he passed away in January, so McQueary’s story couldn’t be corroborated. Among the victims who testified against Sandusky, the stories remained shockingly linear; similar tales of oral and anal sex being forced upon them on school grounds or at his home were a consistent thread, as were tales of abuse occurring in the school showers.
Sandusky’s adopted foster son, Matt, asked to be included in the witnesses for prosecution yesterday but was denied since deliberation had already begun amongst jurors. His statement was still taken, however, and officials discovered that he tried to commit suicide as a teenager after living in the Sandusky home for just four months. He was ultimately adopted, along with five other children, and as of now he is the only one to come forward with a story to tell. What that story is, we’re not sure just yet, as his statement hasn’t been made public. In such extremely emotional and painful situations, the mental state of the victims is always taken into consideration.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly said thanked the victims for their bravery in coming forward.
“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.”