Jerry Sandusky Inaccurately Portrayed As Predatory Pedophile?

Some say Sandusky (photo courtesy of CBS) destroyed Joe Paterno's legend.  Others say Joe destroyed himself.  LINK.  Four days of testimony has revealed testimony of eight men from 18 to 28 years old which claimed Jerry Sandusky sexually abused them as children.  Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach, denies any liability.  But will Sandusky himself take the stand in his own defense?  Our guess is no even though that increases his odds of conviction.

Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, suggested he might.  But what could he possibly add to the audio recording of the television interview that the jury has already heard? Amendola's strategy is to create enough doubt in jurors' minds to avoid a conviction.  If it doesn't work, Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Have the accusers' stories changed over time so as to affect their credibility? At least six witnesses said they told incorrect or incomplete stories in early contacts with police.  Three testified that some of the details only came back to them in recent years. Nevertheless, the prosecutor seems to think the testimony is solid. Are the victims motivated by a chance to gain monetary compensation from civil suits?  This is always a possibility and one that is difficult to deal with from the prosecutors standpoint.

Amendola told the jury in opening statement, "Jerry, in my opinion, loves kids so much that he does things none of us would ever do." The question remains if Jerry Sandusky's love  of children causes him to break the law.  Child molestation cases are not new.  Michael Jackson was accused of inappropriate conduct with children.  LINK. Jackson won his case and apparently settled a civil lawsuit by paying an undisclosed sum. While it's possible Sandusky will win, how likely is it given the national media attention on this case? with all the testimony that Sandusky used gifts, the prestige of Penn State's football program in exchange for physical contact from a hand on the knee to fondling, repeated oral sex and in some cases rape, prosecutor Joe McGettigan has painted the picture of a predatory pedophile. Even with a strong case in chief, it may be difficult to erase such a powerful image in the minds of jurors.

Jerry Sandusky's lawyers have asked the judge to allow them to use out-of-court statements from  former Penn State president Graham Spanier and Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, two university administrators who are fighting criminal charges they lied to the Sandusky grand jury and did not properly report suspected child abuse. If permitted, that could help Sandusky attack the credibility of a witness who says he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a yet-unidentified boy in a team shower. Judge John Cleland has already allowed into evidence the contents of "Touched," "Sandusky's autobiography.  Allowing the entire book prevents misleading exerps and quotes from being taken out of context in order to support a false impression. 

Sandusky's lawyers have argued that Sandusky's peculiar behaviors are evidence of "histrionic personality disorder" on Sandusky's part. During Voire dire, Sandusky's lawyers asked potential jurors about ties to members of Joe Paterno's family.  It remains unclear who if any one will testify in Sandusky's defense. The prosecutor's case should wrap up this week. In the mean time, Jerry Sandusky is to be presumed innocent unless otherwise proven in a court of law.

Update 6-22-12:  As the Sandusky jury deliberates, Monsignor William Lynn is the first U.S. church official convicted of a crime for how he handled sex-abuse accusations. The judge revoked Lynn into custody after he was convicted of one count of endangerment. Lynn was acquitted of another endangerment count and a conspiracy charge. Lynn has been on leave from the church since last year. The alleged conduct occurred while he was secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, mostly under the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. The jury could not agree on a verdict for Lynn's co-defendant, the Rev. James Brennan, who was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy.


Monsignor William Lynn was accused of facilitating by telling parishes their priests were being removed for health reasons and then sending them to unsuspecting churches.  Lynn, 61, had faced about 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted of all three counts. He will likely serve 3 1/2 to seven years in prison.


Bevilacqua had the final say on what to do with priests accused of abuse.  He also allegedly ordered the shredding of a 1994 list that warned him that the archdiocese had three diagnosed pedophiles, a dozen confirmed predators and at least 20 more possible abusers. With the verdict, jurors concluded that prosecutors failed to show that Lynn was part of a conspiracy to move predator priests. The jury, however, did find that Lynn endangered the victim of Edward Avery, who pleaded guilty before trial to a 1999 sexual assault. Lynn had helped steer Avery into an inpatient treatment program run by the archdiocese. Avery was later sent to live in a northeast Philadelphia parish, where the altar boy was assaulted.  Avery is now serving a 2-1/2- to five-year prison sentence.

Lynn's lawyer, Thomas Bergstrom, said in closing arguments that Lynn should not be held responsible for the Church's sins. He suggested his client was a scapegoat for the scandal.  Assistant District Attorney Patrick Blessington said in his closing that it can take years for victims to come forward. "That's what's so scary about this. We have no idea how many victims are out there."  


In the meantime, expect the Lynn conviction to be appealed.




Sandusky Update 6-23-12:  Guilty on 45 of 48 counts! The foreman, Juror #4, was a gray-haired middle-aged man who hammered down the long verdict with an ere command of the courtroom. Guilty of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,  indecent assault and endangering the welfare of children. Forty-five times justice  rang out throughout the courtroom.   There were only three charges Sandusky was acquitted on.  There remains an excellent chance that the ex-coach will spend the rest of his life behind bars.  Who knows who may else follow if they participated in the cover up.  We know from the Lynn case above that  those who cover up child molestation may also face the wrath of justice!