Television satellite trucks line South Allegheny Street in front of the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., Sunday, June 10, 2012, in preparation for opening statements in the child sexual abuse trial of former Penn State Football assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky this morning. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)By MARK SCOLFORO
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) – A jury of seven women and five men will get their first glimpse of the case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky – and his defense – when opening statements begin inside a central Pennsylvania courthouse.
Sandusky’s lawyers and state prosecutors have been under a gag order for months, so their outline of the case to jurors today should reveal new details about an investigation that has taken several years.
Sandusky, 68, faces 52 criminal counts that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years, allegations he’s consistently denied. Sandusky’s lawyers were not able to get the judge to delay the trial, and on Friday Judge John Cleland rejected their request to have some or all of the counts dismissed.
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.