After a short recess for technical difficulties, Victim 4 continued to be questioned by Joe McGettigan. More of Sandusky's love letters were shown on a projector, including one where he says, “I pretend many things, but I can’t pretend my feelings for you.” Other letters were also shown where Sandusky speaks in the third person, saying “Jerry became attatched to [Victim 4] and always will be.”
The prosecution called their first witness to the stand, known as "Victim 4" in the Grand Jury presentment. Victim 4 met Sandusky through The Second Mile when he was 12 or 13 in 1996 or 1997. He claims that he was subjected to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault by Sandusky. Most of the alleged abuse occurred on campus, but Victim 4 also traveled with Sandusky to bowl games.
After Joe McGettigan delivered the prosecution's opening remarks this morning, Sandusky's main counsel Joe Amendola had his turn.
Amendola began by admitting to the jury, “This is a daunting task. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not sure how to approach it.” He compared his job of representing Sandusky as "David and Goalith" or "climbing Mount Everest," claiming that the media has already labeled the accusers as victims.
It has begun.
A little after 9:00 a.m. this morning in the Centre County Courthouse, nestled in sleepy Victorian Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, one of the most anticipated trials in Pennsylvania history got underway as Jerry Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse from 10 different accusers.
As the Jerry Sandusky trial gets underway this morning, a national NBC News report with new evidence could result in charges against former Penn State President Graham Spanier.
The Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse trial is set to get underway this morning in Bellefonte. It's been over seven months since news broke that Sandusky was being charged with 52 counts of sexual abuse against 10 minors, spanning over a period of 15 years, and a unique story has unfolded during that time. The guide below is meant to enhance your education of the ongoing trial, and serve as a reference guide as testimony is given over the next several weeks.