The lead prosecutor in Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse trial showed pictures of the alleged victims to jurors during opening statements of the former Penn State assistant football coach's trial.
Sandusky sat quietly at the defense table and looked to his right at a video screen at times while Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan III outlined the allegations, which led to the ouster of longtime football coach Joe Paterno. The pictures showed many of the alleged victims smiling.
Some of the allegations read aloud by McGettigan were graphic. At one point, the prosecutor said Sandusky put his hand down one boy's shirt and down his pants.
The attorney for Sandusky tells jurors that the young men who will testify in his high-profile child sex abuse trial are accusers, not victims.
Defense attorney Joe Amendola also told jurors in his opening statement Monday that the three-year investigation into his client indicates how flimsy the prosecution's case is against Sandusky. He also says some of the young men have a financial interest in his case.
Amendola told jurors they may find it odd that Sandusky acknowledged showering with young boys but said there was nothing criminal about his client's actions.
Earlier, prosecutors told the panel of seven woman and five men Sandusky was a "predatory pedophile" who groomed boys from broken homes for sexual contact.
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Sandusky, 68, has maintained his innocence. A jury of seven women and five men will decide his fate on 52 charges.
Sandusky hunched slightly his seat at the defense table as Judge John Cleland outlined the charges to the jurors.
Many of the alleged victims are expected to take the stand for the prosecution, and their credibility in jurors' eyes could prove to be the decisive factor in determining the verdict.
