http://youtu.be/gmFZjupZ-kE
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Jerry Sandusky was sentenced Tuesday to at least 30 years in prison — effectively a life sentence — in the child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno’s downfall.
A defiant Sandusky gave a rambling statement in which he denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being away from his family.
Three victims spoke, often fighting back tears. One looked Sandusky in the eyes at times during his statement.
The 68-year-old former Penn State assistant coach was found guilty in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, convicted of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period. Witnesses said Sandusky used the charitable organization he founded for troubled children as his personal hunting ground to find and groom boys to become his victims.
His arrest 11 months ago, and the details that came out during his trial over the summer, transformed Sandusky’s public image from a college coach who had been widely admired for his work with The Second Mile charity into that of a reviled pervert who preyed on the very youngsters who sought his help.
Eight of the boys he was found guilty of molesting testified at his trial, describing a range of abuse that included fondling, oral sex and anal intercourse. One of the prosecution’s star witnesses, former graduate assistant Mike McQueary, testified that he saw Sandusky raping a boy in a locker room shower.
Sandusky has consistently maintained his innocence and plans to appeal.
In a three-minute monologue aired Monday night by Penn State Com Radio that used some of the same language as his courtroom statement, Sandusky said he knows in his heart that he did not do what he called ‘‘these alleged disgusting acts’’ and described himself as the victim of Penn State, investigators, civil attorneys, the media and others.
His statement in court lasted 15 minutes.
Judge John Cleland sentenced him to 30 to 60 years in prison. Under Pennsylvania law, Sandusky cannot be released on parole before the minimum term is up.
‘‘The tragedy of this crime is that it’s a story of betrayal. The most obviously aspect is your betrayal of 10 children,’’ Cleland said before the sentencing. ‘‘I’m not going to sentence you to centuries in prison, although the law will permit that.’’ Still, Cleland said, he expected Sandusky to be in prison for the rest of his life.
The scandal brought devastation in State College that will take years to fully assess, as Sandusky’s victims are pressing civil claims and a January trial is pending for Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, two university administrators charged with failing to properly report suspicions about Sandusky and lying to the grand jury that investigated him.
Soon after the three were arrested in November, the board of trustees fired Paterno, the school’s most famous figure and a man who won two national college football championships in the 1980s. Paterno died of lung cancer in January.
Over the summer, an investigation commissioned by the university and led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concluded that Paterno and other top officials covered up allegations against Sandusky for years to avoid bad publicity.
The scandal also toppled university President Graham Spanier and led to crippling NCAA sanctions against the football team that included a $60 million fine, a ban on postseason play and a reduction in the number of football scholarships the school can award. The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories for Paterno, stripping him of his standing as major college football’s winningest coach.
At least four young men have sued Penn State over the way the university responded to disturbing complaints about Sandusky.
Eight legal teams representing at least 20 young men have surfaced, and the school recently announced an effort to settle as many claims as possible by the end of the year.
Jerry Sandusky Released an Appalling Statement Prior to Tuesday’s Sentencing
Back in June, Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of child molestation with 10 boys. Tomorrow, Sandusky will be sentenced and even though he faces up to 442 years in prison, the former Penn State defensive coordinator still maintains his innocence. Prior to receiving his sentence, Sandusky will speak for 10 to 15 minutes through “prepared remarks written during his time in jail” that will surely reiterate his “not guilty” sentiment while also enraging some folks in the process.
“I’m responding to the worst loss of my life,” Sandusky said in the interview, which was confirmed as authentic via the Twitter account of one of Sandusky’s attorneys, Karl Rominger.
“First, I looked at myself,” Sandusky continued. “Over and over, I asked, why? Why didn’t we have a fair opportunity to prepare for trial? Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations? What’s the purpose? Maybe it will help others; some vulnerable children who could be abused, might not be because of all the publicity.
“That would be nice, but I’m not sure about it. I would cherish the opportunity to become a candle for others, as they have been a light for me. They could take away my life, they could make me out as a monster, they could treat me as a monster, but they can’t take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting acts.”
According to his legal team, Sandusky will appeal their sentence, claiming that his lawyers were “overwhelmed by the mountain of evidence and incapable of preparing for witnesses or providing a reasonable defense.”
Jerry Sandusky is probably (or, better yet, hopefully!) going to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Although he plans to appeal the sentence and continues to claim that he didn’t do the “alleged disgusting acts,” a judge sentenced the former Penn State head coach to at least 30 years in prison earlier this morning. He’s 68 now, so that means Sandusky will be almost 100 years old if and when he ever gets out of prison.
Is the sentence harsh enough considering what Sandusky did? Hell no. But, barring a change in his sentence after an appeal, it’s good to know that this guy is likely never going to see the light of day again.
Source: AP
