Jerry Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually abusing young boys. Centre County (Pa.) Judge John Cleland on Tuesday morning sentenced the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach to 30 to 60 years. In June, a jury found Sandusky guilty of 45 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 young boys from disadvantaged homes, using the Penn State football program and his charity, the Second Mile, to gain access to the victims.
USA Today reports:
Sandusky, appearing in court in a bright red jail jumpsuit, delivered a sometimes rambling four-minute statement in which he denied his crimes, saying that he would "fight" to overturn the verdicts against him.
"They can make me out as a monster, but in my heart I know I didn't do these alleged, disgusting things," Sandusky said before the judge.
Sandusky was proceeded by three of his victims, two of whom spoke through tears, about how he had "betrayed" their trust. One of them, designated by the state grand jury as "Victim 4," looked directly at Sandusky and told him: "You should be ashamed of yourself. I want you to know I will not forgive you. I don't know if I could ever forgive you."
The short hearing ended with Judge John Cleland describing Sandusky's statement as "unbelievable."Sandusky also took to the airwaves Monday night, via a recorded statement played on a Penn State radio station in which Sandusky said, "They can take away my life, they can make me out as a monster, they can 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. My wife has been my only sex partner and that was after marriage."
Despite the sentencing, this case is far from over, according to New York Times reporter Tim Rohan:
Four of Sandusky's victims are suing the university. Victim 1, as he has been called in court, has written a book set to be released Oct. 23.
Mike McQueary, the former assistant coach who testified to seeing Sandusky sexually abuse a boy in the shower on Penn State's campus in 2001, sued the university last week for misrepresentation and defamation, saying the university had mistreated him since Sandusky's actions became public. McQueary had reported the incident to [Penn State head football coach Joe] Paterno, who was faulted for not responding aggressively, and other Penn State officials.
[Penn State athletic director Tim] Curley, who is currently on leave, and [Gary] Schultz, a former [Penn State] senior vice president, are scheduled to stand trial in January on charges of perjury and failing to report child sex abuse, relating to the incident McQueary reported in 2001. Last month, Schultz and Curley asked to be tried separately, and both have pleaded not guilty.
