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                       (CBS/AP) BELLEFONTE, Pa. - The first witness in Jerry Sandusky's trial said the former Penn State assistant football coach sexually abused him as a young teenager on campus and in hotel saunas and later sent him "creepy love letters."

The witness, dubbed Victim No. 4 by prosecutors, said what began as "soap battles" in the shower escalated into inappropriate touching and oral sex.

The man, now 28, was the first of eight alleged victims expected to testify during the trial, which began Monday with opening statements.

Sandusky faces 52 criminal counts that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years, allegations he has denied. His arrest and the fallout led to departures of longtime football coach Joe Paterno and the university president.

The trial is expected to last several weeks.

Lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan III opened Sandusky's highly anticipated trial Monday by telling jurors that the 68-year-old retired coach was a pedophile who took advantage of fatherless children or those with unstable home lives, plied them with gifts and sexually abused them for years.

Defense lawyer Joe Amendola countered that some of the alleged victims had hired civil lawyers and had a financial interest in pursuing the criminal case.

Sandusky sat still as the first witness explained that he began showering with the former assistant coach in 1997. The man said he had met Sandusky through The Second Mile, the children's charity the assistant coach had founded.

The witness spoke calmly and firmly when questioned by McGettigan. Wearing a white shirt, dark tie and dark pants, he looked straight ahead at McGettigan during questioning. He gestured at times when asked to describe interactions with Sandusky.

BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- Three accusers testified Wednesday that Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted them, often offering up football tickets, gifts and attention in a bid to win their trust. One said he was told he'd never see his family again if he said anything.

The accusers spoke with conviction to jurors at the former Penn State assistant football coach's sex abuse trial, yet they also grappled with trying emotional circumstances as they recalled events that took place years earlier.

One man, now 25, said Sandusky pinned him down and performed oral sex on him, threatened to keep him from seeing his family if he reported what happened and then later told him he loved him.

The man, called Victim 10 by prosecutors, told jurors Sandusky assaulted him in the basement of the ex-coach's State College home in the late 1990s. The witness was in foster care at the time and occasionally stayed over at the Sandusky home.

"He told me that if I ever told anyone that I'd never see my family again," the accuser testified.

Later, Sandusky offered a more conciliatory tone.

"He apologized for saying that," the witness said. "He told me he didn't mean it and that he loved me."

The man said Sandusky also assaulted him on other occasions in 1998 and 1999, including once at a pool and another time in the same basement that involved mutual oral sex. He said he was about 11 years old at time of the alleged assaults.

Sandusky is on trial on 52 criminal counts involving alleged assaults against 10 boys over a 15-year span.

Under cross-examination, the man testified that he was the roommate of another Sandusky accuser at a camp sponsored by Sandusky's charity, The Second Mile.

The alleged victim also acknowledged having spent nearly two years in state prison for a robbery and involvement with drugs and alcohol, but said he was doing better

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A 25-year-old man testified Wednesday that as a boy, he was abused by Jerry Sandusky and that Sandusky threatened him and then later apologized, telling the child that he loved him and that he didn't mean the threat.

The man spoke on the third day of testimony in the high-profile child rape case against Penn State's former defensive coordinator. The witness was one of 10 boys, prosecutors say, who were sexually abused over a span of 15 years by the former coach.

"He told me that if I told anybody, that I would never see my family again," said the man identified as "Alleged Victim No. 10."

He testified the school's longtime assistant football coach sexually abused him on at least five different occasions in the basement of his central Pennsylvania home, pinning him down and engaging in oral sex.

He said that he didn't mean it, and that he loved me," the man said.

Sandusky, who seemed expressionless during Wednesday's proceeding, has pleaded not guilty to 52 criminal counts and denied his interactions with the children were sexual. The trial is expected to continue for about three weeks, though court observers say the proceeding has moved at a rapid pace.

John McQueary, the father of a then-graduate assistant who testified he saw Sandusky raping a boy in a university shower, also took the stand Wednesday morning.

"I knew there was something wrong," the elder McQueary said, describing a phone conversation with his son following the alleged incident.

                         Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The prosecution is expected to call more witnesses Thursday in the case against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing boys over a 15-year period.

"Things are moving along quicker than anticipated," Pennsylvania judge John Cleland said before ending Wednesday's proceedings.

The prosecution could be finished calling witnesses by Friday, he said.

Jurors on Wednesday heard graphic testimony from three alleged victims, the father of a then-graduate assistant who said he witnessed Sandusky raping a boy, and a janitor who testified that he saw two pairs of legs in a shower, believed to be the ex-coach and a child.

After he saw the legs, Ron Petrosky said another janitor, who suffers from dementia and isn't able to testify, said he witnessed Sandusky performing oral sex on the boy. Defense attorney Joe Amendola sought to make that testimony inadmissible.

The men spoke on the third day of the case against the former assistant football coach, who's pleaded not guilty to the 52 criminal counts and has denied his interactions with the children were sexual.

Five of 10 alleged victims have so far testified, and two of those are not expected to take the stand.

Among those who testified Wednesday was a 25-year-old man identified as "Alleged Victim No. 10" who said that as a boy, Sandusky abused him on at least five occasions in the basement of Sandusky's Pennsylvania home.

Sandusky sat expressionless during a trial that was initially expected to continue for three weeks but has since progressed more rapidly than expected.

John McQueary, the father of a then-graduate assistant who says he witnessed a rape, also took the stand Wednesday.

"I knew there was something wrong," the elder McQueary said, describing a phone conversation with his son after the alleged incident.

  A young boy growing up in State College, Pa., who idolized the Penn State football team said today that the day he got to try on football helmets and shoulder pads from the star players, ones that "were huge for me, would just sort of float around" was a thrilling day -- until assistant coach Jerry Sandusky asked him to take a shower.

The man, now 24, said in court today that Sandusky bear-hugged him, tickled him, called himself the "tickle monster" and lifted him up in the shower saying he was going to "squeeze (the boy's) guts out."

The shower made him "uncomfortable," but the memory of what happened stopped there. The man, identified as Victim 6, said he "blacked out" when Sandusky lifted him up in the shower, and he could not remember exactly what happened next.

"Then he had his hands around my waist and lifted me up to the shower head to get the soap out of my hair. I believe my chest was to his chest," he said. "I don't think it was touching but I remember going into the shower head and having to close my eyes so soap wouldn't go in, and that's the last thing I remember about being in the shower. That's the best recollection I've got.

"I don't even remember being put down," he said. "Everything else is just blacked out. I don't remember any more."                         

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) -- Jurors in Jerry Sandusky's case were told Thursday the trial would not resume until next week after prosecutors finished calling to the stand eight young men who claimed the former Penn State assistant coach sexually abused them when they were children.

Sandusky's trial on 52 criminal counts has moved more quickly than many observers have expected, and his lawyers could begin to put on their witnesses as early as Monday. There are two alleged victims have never been identified.

Testimony on Thursday included three more accusers, including a young man who claimed the 68-year-old Sandusky raped him as a teen guest in Sandusky's basement.                           

  BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Jerry Sandusky won a court ruling Friday that will let him have an expert testify about a psychiatric condition that his lawyer says helps explain letters he wrote to his accusers and other actions being construed as him grooming victims.

Judge John Cleland granted a motion that sought to put evidence of "histrionic personality disorder" before jurors in Sandusky's child sexual abuse case.

Cleland's order also said the former Penn State assistant football coach must make himself available for prosecutors so they can prepare rebuttal psychiatric testimony.

The American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual calls histrionic personality disorder "a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking" and "often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior" and rapidly shifting emotions.

The defense motion said people with the condition would not necessarily be grooming boys to molest them but instead might be trying to "satisfy the needs of a psyche" with the disorder.

"The jury should not be misled into believing these statements and actions are likely grooming when they are just as likely or more likely histrionic in origin," wrote defense attorney Karl Rominger in the June 11 filing.                       

                             Amendola’s opening statement, court documents and four days of witness cross-examination provide something of a road map to the defense’s strategy, which has been aimed at creating enough doubt in jurors’ minds to avoid a conviction that could send Sandusky to prison for life.

The defense has sought to show how the stories of accusers have changed over time, that they were prodded and coached by investigators and prosecutors, that some are motivated to lie by the hopes of a civil lawsuit jackpot, and to paint Sandusky’s interactions with children as misunderstood and part of a lifelong effort to help, rather than victimize them.

“Jerry, in my opinion, loves kids so much that he does things none of us would ever do,” Amendola said at the start of trial.

Lawyers pursuing a credibility defense try to give jurors reasons to disbelieve the narrative presented by prosecutors, and a financial gain motive or a changing story can be part of that, said University of Pittsburgh law professor David A. Harris.

“This is all standard procedure for building a reasonable doubt defense,” said Harris, who has worked as a defense lawyer and prosecutor. “What they don’t have here is any way to say, ‘OK, these kids have been molested, but somebody else did it.’”

The first four days of testimony, however, may have already cast the die, if jurors have made up their minds about the credibility of the eight accusers, young men ages 18 to 28, six without a father in their lives, three who have never known their fathers. That doesn’t mean they can’t be swayed by defense evidence, and the judge will caution them to keep an open mind, Harris said.

“But what we’re talking about is human nature here, and people have heard a lot already,” he said.

In a large and crowded courtroom, with a crush of national media watching their every word, the accusers recounted in detail their experiences with the 68-year-old Sandusky, allegations that include severe sexual attacks of children too scared and too small to escape or fight back.

    BELLEFONTE, Pa. –  Prosecutors in Jerry Sandusky's child sex-abuse trial dropped one of the 52 counts against him Monday because the statute he was charged under did not apply at the time of the alleged illegal contact.

The charge relates to an accuser identified by prosecutors as Victim 7.

During testimony, the man said the offense happened in 1995 or 1996, but the unlawful contact with a minor statute didn't apply until 1997, prosecutors told the judge overseeing the case. Three charges related to the man are still in effect, including attempted indecent assault.

Prosecutors also said they planned to call one more witness Monday before resting their case. The defense would then begin presenting its own witnesses although it remains unclear if Sandusky himself would testify.

Sandusky now is charged with 51 counts accusing him of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year span. He denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors presented 20 witnesses in the first four days of testimony last week, including eight boys who said Sandusky abused them.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/18/sandusky-could-take-stand-as-trial-second-week-turns-to-defense-case/?test=latestnews#ixzz1y9wM92dJ
                   

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The judge in the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse trial rejected defense motions to drop several charges in the case on Monday.

Judge John Cleland rejected defense arguments that the charges were too vague or testimony did not support the claims.

Prosecutors did withdraw one charge of unlawful contact with a minor involving one of the defendants. The law was not in effect during the time the alleged misconduct occurred, prosecutors said.

The trial was to resume Monday with one brief prosecution witness, Cleland said. Then Sandusky's attorneys were to present their case defending the former Penn State assistant football coach on the remaining 51 counts.

Prosecutors say Sandusky, 68, abused at least 10 boys over a 15-year span. He has denied the charges.

A main focus of the defense's strategy may be to attempt to poke holes in the prosecution's case thus far.

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The defense is expected to call an expert witness to testify that Sandusky may have "histrionic personality disorder," which the National Institutes of Health defines as acting "in a very emotional and dramatic way that draws attention to themselves."

(CBS/AP) BELLEFONTE, Pa. - The first defense witness called in the child-sex abuse case of Jerry Sandusky testified Monday morning that he "never saw anything inappropriate" between the former assistant football coach and any young boys while they showered.



Richard E. Anderson, a retired member of the Penn State coaching staff, was called as a character witness. Anderson said it was not unusual for him to shower with boys at the YMCA, either.

    "Jerry had a great reputation," he said. He was "well thought of in every regard."

Anderson said that it was "part of my life" to be in locker rooms showering with either fellow coaches or young people.

Many of the 51 criminal counts against Sandusky allege that the former coach sexually abused young people in university shower rooms.

Booker Brooks, another former Sandusky colleague, testified that showering with children following physical activities was a "very common thing."

"Were you naked?" defense lawyer Joe Amendola asked.

"I never shower with my clothes on," Brooks said, drawing laughter from the courtroom gallery.

Before the defense opened its case, the prosecution's last witness, the mother of one of Sandusky's alleged victims, said she felt responsible for encouraging her son to visit Sandusky's home. The boy said in testimony last week that he was sodomized and screamed for help.

The boy said that Sandusky's alleged assaults drew blood. His mother testified Monday that her son often returned from Sandusky's home without his underwear.

When she asked him about it she said her son told her he had an accident and threw the underwear away.

Earlier in court the judge overseeing the child sex abuse trial rejected a defense request to dismiss the bulk of the prosecution's case against Sandusky.

Defense lawyers argued that the exact dates and locations of much of the alleged abuse was not specific enough to establish Sandusky's whereabouts during those times.

And in charges related to two of the 10 alleged victims who have never been found by authorities, defense lawyers said there was insufficient evidence to determine that they were underage.                                   

                   BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- Friends and ex-colleagues of Jerry Sandusky testified Monday on behalf of the former Penn State assistant football coach as his defense sought to counter prosecution witnesses' claims that he sexually abused boys in the shower on Penn State's campus.

The testimony came on what was a truncated day in a trial that has moved at a brisk pace since testimony began last week. Judge John Cleland told jurors that the defense could rest its case by Wednesday, which would mean closing arguments could come Thursday morning.

"This is all very tentative, you understand," he told the 12 jurors and four alternates, adding that since they will be sequestered in a hotel while they deliberate they should "pack appropriately."

Accused Penn State pedophile Jerry Sandusky came off a lot creepier in that exclusive sitdown with NBC last November than anyone knew, but the Peacock Network oddly chose not to air what sounds a lot like an admission of guilt -- and now prosecutors want the whole transcript.

"I didn't go around seeking out every young person for sexual needs that I've helped," Sandusky told Costas in footage that never made the November airing.

The disturbing answer first came to light when NBC's "Today" show aired previously unseen transcripts last Tuesday. That prompted prosecutors from the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office to contact NBC lawyers on Friday to request that the network turn over and authenticate the entire transcript from the interview that was used to tape the segment that aired on the news program, “Rock Center with Brian Williams.”

The unaired segment includes a back-and-forth between Costas and Sandusky about his work with young people through his charity for troubled kids, the Second Mile.

"I'm a very passionate person in terms of trying to make a difference in the lives of some young people," Sandusky said. “I worked very hard to try to connect with them. To make them feel good about themselves. To be something significant in their lives. Maybe this gets misinterpreted, has gotten depending on. … I know a lot of young people where it hasn't. I have worked with many, many young people where there has been no misinterpretation of my actions and I have made a very significant difference in their lives.”

Costas then challenged Joe Paterno's one-time defensive coordinator, saying: "But isn't what you're just describing the classic MO of many pedophiles? And that is that they gain the trust of young people, they don't necessarily abuse every young person. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of young boys you came into contact with, but there are allegations that at least eight of them were victimized. Many people believe there are more to come.”

“So it's entirely possible that you could've helped young boy A in some way that was not objectionable while horribly taking advantage of young boy B, C, D and E. Isn't that possible?” Costas asked Sandusky during the interview.

Sandusky gave an unusual reply.

"Well -- you might think that. I don't know. In terms of -- my relationship with so many, many young people. I would -- I would guess that there are many young people who would come forward. Many more young people who would come forward and say that my methods and -- and what I had done for them made a very positive impact on their life.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/18/prosecutors-request-transcripts-from-sandusky-interview-disturbing-unaired/#ixzz1yBArPPGz

                     

BELLEFONTE, Pa. – The defense attorney for Jerry Sandusky on Tuesday closely questioned two Pennsylvania state police investigators about whether they coached some of the alleged victims of the former assistant football coach at Penn State to provide damaging details about Sandusky's behavior with them.

One of the troopers, Cpl. Joseph Leiter, now retired, acknowledged to attorney Joe Amendola that he told some of the alleged victims that they "wouldn't be alone" if they came forward because "there were others." He also said he told one witness in an April 21, 2011, interview that investigators had interviewed as many as nine other alleged vicitms.

"I don't want you to feel ashamed about what happened," Leiter told the alleged victim according to a transcript of the meeting which was read in court. "I don't want him (Sandusky) to take advantage of you … we need you to tell us as graphically as you can about what happened to you. Remember, you are not alone."

Asked by prosecutor Joe McGettigan whether the officer ever told witnesses what to say, Leiter turned to the jury and said "No."

But Amendola later read Leiter portions of the interview transcript in which the investigator told the victim others had reported abuse that progressed to oral sex and rape.

Also on the transcript was a conversation between a lawyer for an alleged victim and Leiter discussing how to get the witness to open up about what had happened to him. At one point while his client is out of the room attorney Ben Andreozzi asked Leiter "can we say at some point in time we have interviewed other kids?"

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Jerry Sandusky's wife told jurors Tuesday that she could remember at least six of her husband's accusers staying overnight at their house. She said she did not witness any sexual abuse.

One of the accusers had once traveled with them to the Alamo Bowl, Dottie Sandusky said, where she and her husband shared a hotel room with the boy.

Many of the accusers testified that they knew Dottie Sandusky, who is not accused of having witnessed sexual abuse.

She testified that children would often sleep at the Sanduskys' house and that "we would give them a choice of where they wanted to sleep."

Her husband was also typically the one to put the children to sleep, she said, telling jurors that "he would go downstairs and tell them good night."                         

(CBS/AP) BELLEFONTE, Pa.- Several more defense witnesses testified Tuesday in the fast-moving child-sex abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

Pictures: Child-sex scandal rocks Penn State

Psychologist Eliot Atkins told the court that he conducted a six hour interview of Sandusky, and reviewed materials including the "creepy love letters" Sandusky sent some of his alleged victims and Sandusky's memoir, "Touched."

Based on the interviews and materials, Atkins testified that he diagnosed Sandusky with histrionic personality disorder, which, according to the National Institutes of Health, is a "condition in which people act in a very emotional and dramatic way that draws attention to themselves."

The defense showed excerpts from some of these letter, including one which read, in part: "I write because of the churning in my stomach when you don't care. I still hope there will be meaning to the time we have known each other."

Atkins then testified that, "The letters express his hurt, disappointment and criticism of these people for not getting back what he hoped to get from these relationships."

In addition, the defense called the mother of the young man known as "Victim 1" and questioned her about whether she had ever made remarks about how the allegations her son had levied against Sandusky would lead to a financial windfall. She denied making such statements.

BELLEFONTE, Pa. –  Jerry Sandusky's lawyers finished putting on their case Wednesday without calling the former Penn State assistant football coach to the stand to rebut child sex abuse allegations that could put him in prison for the rest of his life.

The sudden end to the defense's presentation came on the seventh day of the trial, during which the jury heard from eight men -- now 18 to 28 -- who said the former coach sexually assaulted them after they met him through the charity he founded.

Sandusky is charged with 51 criminal counts for alleged abuse of 10 boys over 15 years. He has denied the allegations but acknowledged in interviews following his arrest that he had showered with boys.

The accusers described for jurors a range of sexual abuse at his hands, from allegations of grooming and fondling to oral sex and forced anal sex that one young man said left him injured. The identities of two other alleged victims are unknown to investigators.

The defense has suggested the accusers have financial motivations for their claims and were improperly influenced by investigators. They also put on character witnesses who spoke of Sandusky's sound reputation and his wife, who said her husband didn't do anything inappropriate.

The defense rested after an approximately 40-minute closed-door meeting involving attorneys, Sandusky and the judge overseeing the case. Under Pennsylvania law, a defendant must waive his right to testify on his own behalf, but it doesn't have to happen in open court.

The next step in the trial is closing arguments, set for Thursday morning

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/20/sandusky-could-take-stand-as-testimony-nears-end-in-abuse-trial/?test=latestnews#ixzz1yMZlA7CE

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Three more criminal counts have been dropped against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who still faces 48 more in his child rape trial.

The announcement was made Thursday, just before closing arguments began in the high-profile case.

Judge John Cleland told jurors that all three counts pertain to "alleged victim 4," while the defense further petitioned to have all counts related to "alleged victim 8" dismissed as well.

Cleland said one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse duplicated another charge. Two other counts -- one of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and another of aggravated indecent assault -- were not supported by testimony and the evidence presented, he said.

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The child rape case against Jerry Sandusky, who faces accusations of sexual abuse involving 10 alleged victims, is now in the hands of a jury.

Jurors began deliberations Thursday, after a week of testimony but without having heard from the former Penn State defensive coordinator on the witness stand.

During closing arguments, defense attorney Joe Amendola sought to poke holes in the prosecution's case, pointing to inconsistencies with the testimony of Mike McQueary, a former graduate student and assistant coach who said he saw Sandusky apparently sodomizing a boy in a university shower.

He also reminded jurors of the lack of physical evidence and accused the alleged victims of conspiring for financial gain while blaming the media for what he described as biased coverage.

During the arguments, Sandusky's wife, Dottie, was seen quietly crying.

Lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan followed Amendola, rebuffing the defense's account of a coordinated action among Sandusky's accusers allegedly bent on financial gain.

"The great thing about conspiracy theories is you just let them go on and on, until they collapse under their own weight," he said.

McGettigan described the former coach as a pedophile who systematically preyed on his victims with a calculated and repeated approach.

"The Commonwealth has overwhelming evidence against Mr. Sandusky," he said.

Earlier Thursday, Judge John Cleland announced that three of the counts were dropped against the former coach, bringing the total number of charges to 48.

He told jurors that all three counts pertain to "alleged victim 4," while the defense further petitioned to have all counts related to "alleged victim 8" dismissed as well

                       

Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's adopted children, has said that he was molested by the former Penn State defensive coordinator, according to a statement from his lawyers.

The allegation comes as Sandusky is awaiting the verdict in his child rape trial. Matt Sandusky, who has defended his father as he faced child rape charges, said through his attorneys Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici that he met with prosecutors this week to tell them he was a victim for the first time.

"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky’s abuse," Matt Sandusky's lawyers said in a statement obtained by InSession. "At Matt’s request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators."

No further details were released about the circumstances surrounding the alleged molestation or when Matt Sandusky claims the abuse occurred.

"This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy," a statement from Matt Sandusky's lawyer said. "There will be no further comment at this time."                     

A 30-year-old Ohio man is the first accuser of former Penn State football Coach Jerry Sandusky to speak publicly about the sexual abuse he says he endured.

Travis Weaver, in an exclusive interview to be broadcast Thursday, June 21 at 10pm/9c on NBC's Rock Center, said Sandusky performed oral sex on him in the upstairs bedroom of the Sandusky home, right across the hall from Sandusky’s wife, Dottie.

Weaver said Dottie Sandusky never witnessed firsthand any of the abuse but he suspects she had an idea of what was going on.

“How could you not know?” asked Weaver in the interview.

The trial has grabbed headlines for the past two weeks. Though graphic details from the testimonies of eight of his accusers have been reported, none of the alleged victims of Sandusky has spoken publicly until now.

Weaver has testified in front of a grand jury but was not called as a witness in the current trial. He said he is prepared to testify in the future if needed. He has spoken to both state and federal authorities.

Sandusky is facing 48 charges relating to child sex abuse. He has maintained his innocence. Attorneys gave their closing arguments June 21. At the time of this publishing, no verdict had yet been reached.

Weaver said he had never told anyone of the abuse and had buried the memories deep down. He says he thought he was the only victim until he saw reports that Sandusky had been arrested on charges of molesting other boys last fall.

“I was shocked.  I couldn't believe he just kept doing it to all these other kids,” Weaver said.

Weaver said he feels guilty about the young men who said they were abused after him.

“I wish I would have said something to him.  I think if I had said something to him a lot of this stuff wouldn't 'a happened to all these other kids,” he said.

Jurors in Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse trial listened again to testimony from a key prosecution witness Friday as they began their second day of deliberations in the former Penn State assistant football coach's high-profile case.

The jury deliberated for more than eight hours Thursday before adjourning at the end of a long session that featured dueling portrayals of Sandusky as a "predatory pedophile" or the victim of a conspiracy between investigators and his accusers.

Sandusky is accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period, using his charity for at-risk youth, The Second Mile, as a source of victims who would be dazzled by gifts, grateful for his attention and — perhaps most importantly — unlikely to speak up.

Sandusky has repeatedly denied the allegations. The defense portrayed him as the hapless victim of a conspiracy to convict him of heinous crimes. They explain the 48 charges against him as the result of an investigatory team out for blood and accusers who willingly played along in hopes of securing a big payday.

Judge John Cleland said jurors would take a couple of hours Friday to listen again to testimony from Mike McQueary and Dr. Jonathan Dranov. The testimony was being read out loud from transcripts.

   BELLEFONTE, Pa. (CBS) – Jury deliberations are now underway in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.

On Thursday, the judge sequestered the jury and issued an order prohibiting members of the media from reporting the verdict until after the court has been adjourned.

According to the order, if any member of media reports the verdict through before the court is adjourned, it will be considered a violation and the reporter, as well as the media outlet they work for, could face sanctions.

As noted in the order, “The time that court is adjourned will be noted in the record. Any report or broadcast of the jury’s verdict posted or broadcast before the noted time will be deemed to have been made in violation of this order and may result in sanctions against both the reporter and the media outlet which broadcasts or otherwise distributes information.
                     

The jury in the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case has reached a verdict. The media has received a twenty-minute verdict notification, which means that the result will be announced in twenty minutes.

Jerry Sandusky is a former Assistant Coach for Penn State The high-profile began last year when almost a dozen people came out, revealing that Sandusky has molested them, which then resulted in the firing of Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno.

Sandusky faces 48 counts against him and up to 400 years in prison. Most legal analysts have predicted that he will be found guilty on most, if not all, charges.

                            There were cheers outside the courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., on a Friday night in summer, not nearly as loud as cheers that Jerry Sandusky once heard on Saturday afternoons when he coached defense for Joe Paterno at Penn State. This was the job, of course, at which Sandusky moonlighted, from his full-time job as a pedophile, abusing children over years and somehow managing to hide in plain sight at Penn State.

There was Sandusky, in handcuffs at last, blinking into the television lights and shaking his head before he was put into the backseat of a police cruiser, on his way to living out the rest of his miserable life in prison. He will no longer be a predator there. But he will be surrounded by them, by mean, hard men who will know all about the stories they have heard, stories about the former football coach who put young boys in his care up against shower room walls.

And even then, seen with a boy in a shower room by another member of the football staff, nobody stopped Sandusky. Finally he was stopped on Friday night in the courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., as he

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/jerry-sandusky-victims-longer-afraid-speak-finally-heard-monster-found-guilty-article-1.1101107#ixzz1yd3SwIG1

BELLEFONTE, Pa. –  Jerry Sandusky's lawyers said Saturday they tried to quit at the start of jury selection in his child sex abuse trial because they weren't given enough time to prepare, raising an argument on the trial's speed that could become the thrust of an appeal.

And one of the jurors who convicted Sandusky of 45 child sex abuse counts said Saturday he was swayed by the "very convincing" testimony of eight accusers who said the ex-Penn State assistant football coach molested them for years.

"It's hard to judge character on the stand, because you don't know these kids," juror Joshua Harper told NBC's "Today" show. "But most were very credible -- I would say all."

A day after Sandusky's conviction, his lawyers disclosed they felt too unprepared to adequately defend him because of how quickly the case was brought to trial. Experts have said the seven months between Sandusky's November arrest and trial was fast-paced by Pennsylvania standards.

"We told the trial court, the Superior Court and the Supreme Court we were not prepared to proceed to trial in June due to numerous issues, and we asked to withdraw from the case for those reasons," attorney Joe Amendola told The Associated Press.

The issues included a scheduling conflict with a defense team member and the need to read a cache of documents produced by a lengthy grand jury investigation. Judge John Cleland denied their request.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/23/sandusky-lawyers-raise-appeal-issue-regarding-timing/#ixzz1yfnEc9e1

Jerry Sandusky is on suicide watch at the local jail after being convicted on 45 counts of sexually abusing young boys late, the former Penn State coach's defense attorney said today.

Sandusky was led away in handcuffs to the Centre County jail Friday night after a jury of seven women and five men found him guilty of nearly all of the most serious allegations of child rape and sex abuse leveled against him, but Sandusky has not reached the end of his road yet. He will still face civil suits, potentially more criminal charges against him, and years of treatment while in prison.

After the jury foreman read 45 "guilty" verdicts aloud to an emotionless Sandusky Friday night, Judge John Cleland revoked bail and sent Sandusky to county jail to be evaluated by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board for a pre-sentencing report, taking into account his psychological and physical health.

Defense attorney Karl Rominger told CNN today that Sandusky is being held on suicide watch in protective custody, away from other inmates. The jail would not comment on Sandusky's condition to ABC News.

Sandusky will be held at the county jail for approximately 90 days, until he is sentenced by Cleland to what will likely amount to life in prison.

After that, he will likely spend the rest of his days in a state prison in Pennsylvania, living among the general population of 18- to 79-year olds until he ages out of the system and is transferred to a facility for older prisoners. He will be forced to undergo treatment for sex offenders while in prison, according to The Associated Press.

Sandusky could still face more charges from a bevy of accusers who were not included in the original case against him, including his adopted son Matthew, who came forward at the end of the prosecution's case during the trial last week to say he would testify on the state's behalf. His attorneys confirmed in a statement that he was a victim of his adoptive father's abuse.

Matt and at least four other men have all been in discussions with the attorney general's office about their allegations, according to attorneys representing the men.

Attorney general Linda Kelly said following the verdict Friday night that the case remains open.

"Other victims have come forward after the grand jury presentment in this case, and we intend to continue to look into those matters," she said.

   BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- Jerry Sandusky's lawyers said Saturday they tried to quit at the start of jury selection in his child sex abuse trial because they weren't given enough time to prepare, raising an argument on the trial's speed that could become the thrust of an appeal.

And one of the jurors who convicted Sandusky of 45 child sex abuse counts said Saturday he was swayed by the "very convincing" testimony of eight accusers who said the ex-Penn State assistant football coach molested them for years.

"It's hard to judge character on the stand, because you don't know these kids," juror Joshua Harper told NBC's "Today" show. "But most were very credible -- I would say all."

A day after Sandusky's conviction, his lawyers disclosed they felt too unprepared to adequately defend him because of how quickly the case was brought to trial. Experts have said the seven months between Sandusky's November arrest and trial was fast-paced by Pennsylvania standards.

"We told the trial court, the Superior Court and the Supreme Court we were not prepared to proceed to trial in June due to numerous issues, and we asked to withdraw from the case for those reasons," attorney Joe Amendola told The Associated Press.

The issues included a scheduling conflict with a defense team member and the need to read a cache of documents produced by a lengthy grand jury investigation. Judge John Cleland denied their request.

The attorneys raised other issues that could be part of the future appeal, saying a mistrial was sought and denied over a repetition at trial of a brief part of a November interview Sandusky had with NBC's Bob Costas.

Jurors in the two-week trial convicted Sandusky of 45 of the 48 counts against him, meaning Sandusky, 68, likely will die in prison.

                             

The biological parents of Jerry Sandusky's adopted son have spoken of their distress at being unable to prevent the former Penn State assistant coach from abusing him.

Matt Sandusky was prepared to take the stand at his adoptive father's trial earlier this week and testify that he had been abused while he was a child.

And it has emerged that his birth mother is wracked with guilt at not investigating Sandusky's behaviour towards Matt and 'feels like she let the other victims down'.

Matt's parents spoke out as it was revealed that a stash of letters from Sandusky to one of his victims has been released in full.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2163859/Jerry-Sandusky-trial-Parents-Matt-Sandusky-speak-abuse.html#ixzz1yk1sdRwL

BELLEFONTE- Centre County court officials allowed reporters to page through the evidence from the Jerry Sandusky trial after jurors began deliberations on Tuesday.

Among the many pieces of evidence prosecutors had in the case are so-called “creepy love letters” that alleged Victim 4 testified Sandusky sent to him.  What follows is a transcript of each letter. The first is a third person story Victim 4 said Sandusky sent to him.  The letters were written in Sandusky’s handwriting.  Some words are tough to make out, you will find lines in place of those words.  The alleged victim’s name has been removed for his protection.

“The B-J Story”(sent to Victim 4)

Jer was scared to death, studied in the playground

Times were not always perfect.  There were ups and down.  There were arguments, fights, they cared!  No matter what, there was a connection that would help them last through this difficult time.  There was always a sensitive, caring feeling deep inside.  Jer had learned through many experiences that life isn’t perfect, even with someone he confided to be his “best friend”

Life is far from perfect at this stage.  Something or things have come into [Victim 4]’s life that appears to have taken him over.  Its powerful, a cloud of smoke that has engulfed him, for Jer it has been a dark cloud.  Both seemed to fight it, coming over trying to do ­­­­­_____ but couldn’t pull it off.  He seems to bring the both more and more.  I ­­­_____ the cloud ­­­_____ and taken over.  It has smothered something and love, taken away his caring and enthusiasm.  His enthusiasm has been replaced by sleep, his caring replaced by …  “Tell me another story Jer” has been replaced by “I don’t care” this cloud has destroyed … this is fear that it has reached his inside, really his feelings.

Jer believes that there will always be something special inside [Victim 4].  He hopes that it will last, return, if it has left.  The players miss him.  They say, “Come back, [Victim 4]!”  “Stay with us, [Victim 4]!”  Jer would love to have the good times back.  The players shout “Be with us til the end!”

Jer would love to hear, “Tell me another story, Jer.” Jer may not be worthy, but he needs a “best friend” it doesn’t look real good.

Jer understands life and its changes.  He’s proud, too proud to beg for a finish, extended family member.  The story will ends the way that [Victim 4] wants it.  Jer wants to be there to the end, but that’s [Victim 4]’s call.  If [Victim 4] ever needs him, he’ll come.

Regardless, they have had an experience that others wont.  Jer will not forget and always care.

Letter 1

[Victim 4],

Once again, I have decided to write some of my thoughts.  I write because you mean so much to us.  I write because I am concerned about all of us.  I write because I am concerned about all of us.  I write because I have seen the hurt on Tim’s face when you don’t show for him, even though you have given your word.  I write because of the churning in my own stomach when you don’t care.  I write because I still hope that there will be meaning to the time we have known each other.

Tim and I have seen this before, had similar experiences, and to be honest not very happy conclusions.  You like to express yourself in a straightforward manner.  This will be a very direct message from us.

When seen to be a conveniences.  When it is inconvenient or a better deal comes along you leave a trial of broken promises.  Communicate seem to be meaningless.

You are able to connect from person to person to person, object to object.  You seek happiness through control, domination, and what satisfies the moment.  You have to hit the home run, swing for the fence.  You don’t understand or care not to worry about loyalty, commitment or caring.  The ____so to get what you want regardless of others.

On the surface this may appear to work for you.  People enjoy your youthfulness.  Different people show up to give you temporary fulfillment.

We could be wrong but doesn’t believe this is how it works..

You will get older.  People will expect more.  Your youthfulness will disappear.  If you cannot care, you will not be able to live up to the expectations.  Your so-=called “best friends” will vanish.  Happiness will escape your life.

You might want to stop and think about time happiness.  It seems to come more often when your don’t try so hard, look to just get a simple reach out to others, lose yourself, become satisfied with … simple people who care.

It’s your life! You can continue as you have, keep looking for happiness’s or you can find it.  We’d love to be a part of your life, but that’s your choice.

We’ve been here, made it through some challenges.  Went to always be there for you!

With some help and a lot of caring we are:

Jer and Tim  [There was no discussion in the trial of who Tim is]

Letter 2

[Victim 4],

I hope that writing some of my thoughts will not … you as much as I do personally.

We have known each other for almost two years; gone through many highs and lows.  There was tremendous encouragement as we went through last summer and into the fall.  You seemed like you had ____ into everything and were doing well.  Those who had poured out their guts for you, stood by you, were there when you needed them, swelled with pride in your accomplishments.

Somehow this all slipped away.  Agreements with people who really care about you didn’t mean anything.  You started missing school, your attitude, grades, and self-esteem dropped.

We tried many ways to get you to do your work but failed.  You kept driving us away.  It became clear that there were only two ways to make a difference in your life, and they weren’t working.  Somebody had to care enough to take control and help you succeed.  Tim and I cared enough but were not in that kind of position.  The only other hope was that you would attach to us, care enough, and want to please yourself and others.

Inch by inch you continued to drive those that live and would die for you out.  Instead, you bounce from one person to another, always measuring what others are willing to do for you.

Where are we?  Discouraged, but were still here, hope to remain.

When it comes to school, I conclude that there is a nothing that I can do or say that will make a difference.  However, there is always hope.  Maybe you wont quit.  Maybe you will decide down the road to make an effort.  Maybe time will be something that will ___ help in the future.  I will be there as long as you want me.  I’ll stand by you so a person who has been a large part of my life.  I’ll always care!

I see you getting better in soccer, playing hockey, etc.  Hopefully, you will not throw this opportunity away.  There is so much that I enjoy about you.  You have special qualities.  Hang on to the positive experiences whether you want us there or not.  When it is all said and done remember us as very … people who cared, tried, and always wanted to be a true friend (there in the clutch)

You will always be meaningful to me!

Keep climbing!  Keep on Keepin’ On!

Jer                 

(Reuters) - Lawyers for Jerry Sandusky sought a mistrial before his conviction for child sex abuse on the grounds that prosecutors showed jurors an inaccurate version of a bombshell NBC News interview with the former football coach, and the mistake may now form part of the basis for an appeal.

In response to a subpoena, NBC News turned over three versions of Bob Costas' NBC News interview with Sandusky, which aired last November on different NBC shows.

One of those versions, which was broadcast on the 'Today' show, contained an erroneous repetition of a key question and answer - about whether Sandusky was sexually attracted to young boys, Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania attorney general said on Sunday.

The repetition, Sandusky's lawyers contend, made it appear to jurors that he was stonewalling.

"It wasn't noticed by (NBC News), it wasn't noticed by us, but it became obvious when it played in court," Frederiksen told Reuters.

NBC News spokeswoman Amy Lynn confirmed this account on Sunday.

SANDUSKY FACES 400-YEAR SENTENCE

On Friday, a jury in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, convicted Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, of 45 counts of child sex abuse and child endangerment. Sandusky, 68, is expected to be sentenced to more than 400 years in prison.

Sandusky attorney Joe Amendola said NBC's error would form part of the basis for an appeal. "Oh my goodness, yes," he said, when asked about whether it could be used in an appeal.

The mistrial request was denied by Judge John Cleland, who sought to remedy the situation by providing the jury with an accurate transcript of the exchange, another Sandusky attorney Karl Rominger said.

It's the second time in a matter of months that an error in a ‘Today' show broadcast has put the morning program at the center of a national criminal trial. In April, 'Today' aired a misleadingly edited phone call between the police and the man who shot Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

“He’s fine but he’s just not been evaluated,” Rominger said.

“He is very disappointed to be in prison. He is anxious to get out of this suicide watch,” Rominger said, adding that Sandusky told him: “If I have to keep sitting in this room for another three or four days without being able to talk to anybody, I might start to need help at that point.”

Earlier Monday, Gov. Tom Corbett said that prosecutors needed about two years between the first report of child sexual abuse involving Sandusky and the filing of charges because authorities needed to build an “ironclad case” against him.

Corbett, then the state attorney general, oversaw the start of the investigation after the ex-coach was barred from a high school in 2009 when a mother complained about Sandusky. Charges were filed in November.

“I think it surprises some people, the length of time it took,” Corbett said. “But having been an assistant DA, an assistant U.S. attorney and handling cases like this, I understood that you have to do a complete investigation and get as many witnesses as you possibly can.”

Corbett said the wisdom of the investigation’s deliberate pace was evident in the jury’s decisive verdict on Friday — convicting Sandusky on all but three counts.

Corbett also defended the speed with which Sandusky’s case went from grand jury presentment to trial — seven months.

Sandusky defense attorney Joe Amendola has said he and Rominger didn’t have enough time to prepare for trial and even asked to withdraw from the case because of it.

“I’m not surprised that they would say that,” Corbett said. “Obviously it will be the subject of an appeal at some point in time. ... But in this case the jury had the opportunity to hear the compelling testimony of these now young men who were young boys who suffered at the hands of this pedophile.”

The current state attorney general, Linda Kelly, told NBC’s “Today” show that all parties involved knew the judge intended to move quickly. She said prosecutors supported that decision because Sandusky was on house arrest while awaiting trial.

“We were anxious just to bring the case to a conclusion and move to have his bond revoked and taken into custody,” Kelly said.