Sandusky Found Guilty Of 45 Counts Of Sex Abuse

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the Centre County Courthouse in handcuffs after a jury found him guilty on 45 of 48 charges in his sex abuse trial in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday.

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has been convicted of 45 out of 48 counts of sexual abuse. The charges involved the abuse of 10 boys over a 15-year period. The jury deliberated more than 20 hours before arriving at its verdict.

Sandusky originally faced 52 charges — four were dismissed during the trial.

The defense rested Thursday, without putting Sandusky on the stand, we reported.

The Associated Press says Sandusky, 68, faces life in prison when he is sentenced, which will be in about three months. NPR’s Jeff Brady tells our Newscast desk that during the reading of the verdict, Sandusky had “really no reaction at all that I could tell.” He stood quietly, shoulders slightly hunched, with his hand in his pocket.

Brady says Sandusky was taken into custody immediately after the verdict was announced.

“The prosecution stood up and said they wanted his bail revoked. His attorney, Joe Amendola made an argument for keeping him out on bail. The judge rejected that, and sheriffs deputies led him away.”

Update at 11:20 p.m. ET. Plan For Appeal:

One of Sandusky’s attorneys, Joe Amendola, told reporters outside the courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., that his client planned to appeal the verdict and said he was disappointed that the defense was not given more time to prepare, given the number of charges in the case.

Amendola also said Sandusky “reluctantly” decided not to testify at the last minute: “He fully intended to testify.” Amendola explained that the defense changed strategy because of concerns that prosecutors would call Sandusky’s adopted son, Matt, 33, as a rebuttal witness.

Lawyers for Matt Sandusky said Thursday that their client was willing to testify about alleged abuse by his adopted father. In the end, Matt Sandusky did not testify and the jury, which was sequestered, was not told about the new allegations.

After the verdict, Amendola said Jerry Sandusky and his family were “shocked” by Matt’s allegations.

source: NPR