Sandusky Guilty on 45 of 48 Counts

Jury announced verdict Friday night

Former Penn :State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty Friday night of 45 out of 48 counts against him. 

The 68-year old Sandusky was accused of abusing 10 young boys over 15 years.

The jury in Bellefonte, PA announced the verdict shortly after 10 p.m.
 
Earlier in the evening, Sandusky's lawyer said he would be shocked and ``die of a heart attack'' if the former coach were acquitted on all counts in his child sex abuse trial.
 
Jurors began deliberating the case Thursday and talked all day Friday.
 
Lawyer, Joe Amendola said the Sanduskys were spending a lot of time praying. He described the atmosphere at their home as like a funeral.
 
The couple was ``crushed'' Thursday when lawyers for one of their sons, Matt Sandusky, said the 33-year-old had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors, Amendola said. Matt Sandusky said his father abused him, his attorneys said.
 
The verdict impacts not only Sandusky and the eight young men who accused him of molestation, but a range of civil and criminal probes of the scandal that shamed the university and brought down coach Joe Paterno.
 
Former athletic director Tim Curley and school vice president Gary Schultz are accused of lying to a grand jury about allegations against Sandusky.

On Friday, a judge in Harrisburg scheduled a July 11 status conference with their lawyers.  Both are fighting the charges and await trial.
 
Philadelphia attorney Fortunato Perri Jr., who has been following the Sandusky trial, said an acquittal of Sandusky on the counts involving Victim 2 could provide a road map for the defense of Curley and Schultz.
 
Sandusky has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. 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.

Sandusky could face additional criminal charges involving accusers who came forward after his November arrest.
 
The attorney general's office has said repeatedly that it has an ``active and ongoing'' investigation of Sandusky, while federal prosecutors in Harrisburg issued a wide-ranging subpoena in February for university computer records and other information.
 
Civil lawsuits also are likely against Sandusky, his Second Mile charity and Penn State.
 
   

 

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