Prosecution rests in Jerry Sandusky trial
by MCT Information Services, bostonherald.comJune 15th 2012
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Prosecutors closed their case Thursday in the Jerry Sandusky child-sex-abuse trial with testimony from a man who said his cries for help went unanswered as he was repeatedly sodomized in the former coach's basement.
When asked why, with Sandusky's wife sleeping upstairs, no one responded to his screams, the 18-year-old, looked down, chewed on his fingers, and softly answered.
"No one can hear you down there," he said.
His account of three years of abuse at the hand of the former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach punctuated four days of graphic and consistent stories of molestation from eight young accusers.
Many told tales of rape in the basement of Sandusky's State College home.
Several said the former coach groped their naked bodies in locker-room showers.
And nearly all recalled one consistent quirk: While driving in the car with boys, "he had a thing for grabbing your knee and then moving his hand up. That was a big thing with Jerry," a 25-year-old Army national guardsman identified in court filings as Victim 3 told jurors Thursday.
Despite their discomfort, they kept coming back, many said, because Sandusky offered them access to the Penn State football program, its players, and its perks. Jurors also heard about two additional alleged victims who remain unidentified by investigators but whose purported abuse was witnessed by others.
Summarizing the case from the stand Thursday, lead investigator Anthony Sassano addressed why many of the prosecution's witnesses seemed hesitant to come forward.
"I wouldn't want to sit here and discuss with you my sexual experiences, either," he said.
Starting Monday, Sandusky's lawyers will have their first chance to put on evidence in response to those claims. Although lawyer Joseph Amendola has made no firm commitment that his client will take the stand, he suggested in his opening statement to jurors Monday that they would hear from Sandusky during the trial.
The former coach has denied charges that he molested the 10 boys over 15 years. Prosecutors allege he met all of his accusers through the Second Mile, a charity for underprivileged youth he founded in 1977.
And for at least two of the alleged victims who testified Thursday, the mentoring role Sandusky played in their lives allowed them to look past their purported abuse for years.
Young men identified as Victims 3 and 6 continued to stay in contact with Sandusky and his family up until recently, they said.
Under cross-examination, Amendola pressed both on what changed their opinion of the man served as a father figure in each of their lives.
Original Page: http://bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view/20120615prosecution_rests_in_jerry_sandusky_trial
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Victor Cuvo, Attorney at Law
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