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Subscribe to RSSFormer Penn State University assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky speaks to NBC's Bob Costas in a Rock Center exclusive interview. Sandusky was charged earlier this month with 40 criminal counts accusing him of sexual abuse of minors.
Lawyers involved in the child sexual abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky have been ordered to stop talking to the media.
Pennsylvania Judge John Cleland filed a so-called "gag order" on Monday to keep lawyers or their representatives from making statements about evidence, witnesses or Sandusky’s guilt or innocence.
Cleland wrote that the order "is narrowly tailored to achieve its purposes in light of the unprecedented publicity generated by the case" and should help ensure "a fair, impartial and orderly trial."
Sandusky, 68, is accused of 52 counts of sexual abuse of 10 boys over a 15-year period. The former coach, an assistant to legendary head coach Joe Paterno, has maintained his innocence and has sought to have the charges dismissed. Sandusky has been under house arrest since December.
Attorneys from both sides have oftern talked to reporters after pretrial hearings. After a hearing last week, prosecutor Joe McGettigan criticized the defense claim that the charges lacked specific information by saying Sandusky received “voluminous documentation of perversions against young children,” The Associated Press reported.
And Jerry Sandusky famously gave a prime-time interview to NBC’s Bob Costas less than two weeks after he was charged. In the interview Sandusky admitted to showering with boys. Sandusky’s attorney, Joe Amendola, has spent hours talking with reporters outside court proceedings.
Sandusky’s trial is scheduled to begin on June 5.
Sandusky was charged in November after a three-year grand jury probe. The indictment led to the firing of Penn State’s legendary head football coach Joe Paterno and university President Graham Spanier.
NBC's Michelle Franzen reports live at the pre-trial hearing for Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15 year period.
Two administrators at Penn State, Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, await trial on accusations that they lied to the grand jury and failed to properly report the suspected abuse.
Paterno died in January after a battle with lung cancer.
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Can't wait until this is over and he gets to serve time. It's his turn to be abused.
I just hope justice is served. I wouldn't mind being on the jury and hearing all of the evidence. If he is acquitted, I might read the trial transcripts to see why. It doesn't sound much like he will be though. Trial by the media seldom reveals much but the sensational aspects of a case. If he did what they say he did, the gorilla cage with a wipe of female hormone would be a fitting punishment.
It will be interesting to see this finally go to trial. For all of the media coverage and statements by prosecutors, there has not been one single piece of evidence made public of actual sexual contact between Sandusky and these kids. The only thing that has been talked about is his being in the shower with these kids. While this is highly inappropriate behavior and I find it a little sick, this does not constitute sexual assault. It will be interesting to see if the prosecution has any actual evidence other than the word of his accusers to back up the charges. If they do, they certainly have not made any of it public. This makes me suspect that they may not have anything more, in which case the only thing that will cause Sandusky to be convicted is the jury having a distaste for his actions and not any evidence. While I think pedophiles should be strung up by their balls, I hesitate to put a lot of stock in accusations coming out so long after the supposed events. There have just bee too many cases where these accusations have later proven to be made up stories, like with the Syracuse assistant coach who was accused of molesting a kid on a trip when it later came out that documentation showed the kid was not even on the trip. You also have the McMartin preschool case where the whole thing fell apart when it came out that the kids were coached and coerced into making false accusations by parents and prosecutors. Too many times these accusers coming out of the woodwork are making up stories in search of a big financial payoff from a settlement. They may be seeing an opportunity for a windfall from Penn State or the Second Mile charity and make up stories to get their share of the pie, even though nothing ever happened. Too often in cases lie this it becomes guilty until proven innocent and the supposed victims are believed regardless of the lack of any evidence to support their claims. If Sandusky is guilty, he deserves to spend the rest of his miserable life in prison, preferably in general population where he will get a taste of his own medicine. However, I will wait until the evidence is presented before I decide whether he is actually guilty or not.
So what you are saying the boys who claim to have been molested are not evidence - PLEASE. The whole Penn State athletic department has been disgraced and there is evidence that many dropped the ball for this pervert - Joe Paterno on down, what a shame that nothing was done to stop this POS.
Hey JS in SD I think you missed a ton-load of FACTS & READING on this trial & the related claims which are PUBLIC RECORD. A GRAND JURY indicted this POS. A GRAND JURY CANNOT indict WITHOUT EVIDENCE. Hearsay at a Grand Jury level will get thrown out on its A___
The facts and corroborration by NUMEROUS claimants have disclosed evidentiary facts. There are recorded facts of discovery by clincal therapists related to the reports. There is a recorded admission by this CREEP with police officers listening in an adjacent room - and that's the tip-of-the-iceberg, as they say!
There is a dead DA related to this case only in reference to his then-investigation of these crimes [alledged !! HA! BS!] and his sudden resulting "disappearance" - no this does NOT qualify as 'evidence': it just happens to be a "related fact" !
Additionally, there are documented reports going back to the 90's on this 'slob' - and ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND KNOWS, WHERE THERE IS SMOKE THERE IS FIRE: WHERE THERE IS ONE BOY, THEY ARE DOZENS MORE who will never be mentioned here - since numerous situations probably witnessed in the "Second Mile" BS will be so far swept under the rug that a team of bulldozers will never find it, thanks to the BILLION DOLLAR FOOTBALL PROGRAM AT PENN STATE & THE GOOD OLE BOYS!
I am a victim of one of these types of PIGS! And a little common sense from people like you would go a long way, without all the "rationalizing" and "legalizing" that you propose in order to satisfy the degree of "disbelief" that a slob like this is a real psycho - who wears a smile!
TO JS in SD
P.S. your reference to the "McMartin Case" isn't even CLOSE to this on the factual level, and not even CLOSE to this on the level of plaintiff's with quite substantial documentation [AND witnessed] in what is simply put - a severe case of abuse
The McMartin case is absolutely another pathetic case of "administrators "directing the traffic", however it was a case that had NO evidentiary basis whatsoever - which was also covered up in those proceedings. THAT was a sham & a shame!
Anyone who knows these cases is well aware of the factual and distinct legal differences - which it seems you are not, based on using such a case reference in the same light of Sandusky who should be more compared to a Gacy file than a Mc Martin file, as he has clearly evidently ruined and manipulated MANY lives
JS in SD, the grand jury report is public; you can read it here:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/07/sandusky-grand-jury-report/
Plenty of evidence of horrific sexual abuse with multiple victims and eye witnesses including two who saw deviant acts (Sandusky sodomizing one boy and orally raping another). The victims' descriptions of what was done to them is detailed, graphic, and defies belief as something someone could or would fabricate. The devil is in the details... Sandusky is without a doubt a pedofile.
Sandusky is the most hated man in America. I hope when he is convicted he gets put in the same cell as Charles Manson or Philip Garrido.
He will work a 'deal' like OJ did in the first trial and be off in 6 months....we can only hope 'bubba' gives him an STD quickly while he's doing time.
The only voice that continues to beat Sandusky to dust belongs to some guy named Sandusky.
@softdude- read the indictment. you can probably still find it at philly.com That should give you a lot more info than the media garbage. And you'll also see why so many people already have him pegged as guilty. It's really graphic. Anyone who thinks this scumbag isn't getting a fair shake needs to read these docs. Those poor kids where victimized by a monster. And to see his pink wrinkly face proclaiming how he's going to fight it to the end is just sickening. Almost as sickening as his wife acting like she knew nothing about it.
I'm sure Ol' Sandusky would love to give his lawyers a "gag order" or vice versa. Enjoy your freedom while you can, perv!
This is just plain sad!!! If he is found guilty, he should spend the rest of his miserable life behind bars.
As for the lawyers speaking to the media, what do you expect? that's the whole point of them taking on the case so they can be the media whore's they are!!
Sandusky's denial constructs his definition of sex abuse. The rest of society defines it for what it is.
I would like to give a shout out to Bob Costas, that interview would make Mike Wallace proud.
Thanks for asking the questions the rest of us wanted to ask.
Kind of like Clinton's definition of sex. Blow jobs don't count.
Hey "Talk to the Hand" [should say "Talk to an Idiot"!] - there's a totally assinine comment that has absolutely NO relation to this sick mess of Sandusky
Talk to the Fool. Clinton hasn't been president for nearly 12 years - get over it already. Also, that was a case of a consensual sex act between two adults. No comparison.
somebody put this fu^%$# POS down.....and, all involved at PSU who did the "bare minimum" by only reporting it to their boss should also rot in hell......it's really that simple.
you said it all
What a bunch of maroons. No one knows how to keep their mouths shut these days. I'm not sure what they think they are accomplishing but perhaps, the element of surprise will be moot.
i think in typical prosecutor fashion they will fumble what appears to be an open & shut case. there will be outrage, nothing will happen, sheep will go back to watching Dancing with the stars....
Even if the prosecution does blow this where is he going to live in peace? The moon maybe. This guy is branded for life...we will probably hear of his suicide either way. The definition of his crimes is coward. I know he is not welcome in my home town.
He could always move to Mexifornia where the gays,lesian,pedophiles thrive!Sorry,I left out the transgender folks,whatever species that is!
wish some judge in Fla, would post an order to stop people from putting their hate messages on the martin case in the press and on the "net".
I don't think a judge can put a gag order on private citizens, that have not commited a crime that is. Bummer.
Sandusky should be grateful to the judge. Amendola is one of the worst defense attorneys I've ever seen in action. The more he shuts up, the better it is for his client. And letting his client do interviews is tantamount to legal malpractice.
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These bottom feeder lawyers know they are representing a disgusting human being with an equally disgusting family that would rather live the high life than confront the monster in their midst so they need to get the public knowing everything so they can say they can't get an impartial jury. They know exactly what they are doing and should be fined because they would sell their soul for the almighty dollar and that is the only thing that would stop them if it cost them.
For help and healing of sexual assault, call 1-800-633-3446.
I wish!
The chances of Sandusky being innocent on all these charges is zero. He's guilty as hell. He did a phone interview with a reporter earlier when this mess first broke that creeped me out. Sick! He tarnished the image of a great school. If I were a student there, I would have transferred.
Time to stop the games. Let's go to trial. Let the jury decide. I'm sure they will convict and Sandusky will get what he deserves.
Time to stop the games, jam the cell door and shank his worthless ass while the guards helplessly watch.
Does ANYONE think this guy might be innocent?
He has a .0000000000001% chance of being innocent!I don't know of one single man who would or wants to shower with a young child,regardless of sex!Pervert,that's all,just a pervert!I'll "meat" bubba in jail and all things will equalize!
Only the blind "lady justice" is giving him the benefit of the doubt right now.
his bathing habits are very questionable...
Anyone besides me notice that most of the players involved in this thing, from investigators, judges, etc....are known to each other??? I wonder about the gag order. I do not like celebrity trials, but the state of PA in this instance does not exactly foster confidence, now that even the Governor has come out against St. Joe. Obviously to CYA. Sandusky is all smiles.....he is out on bail from a judge that he knows thru his "charity".....he probably has a lot of dirt on others at Pedo Univ. And that entire institution henceforth known as Pedophile State can rot in hell. For you all to support that enabler Saint Joe is horrific, disgusting, and demonstrates your utter lack of comprehending these crimes perpetrated on innocent CHILDREN....in YOUR showers.....at YOUR SCHOOL. Would you go back to a church that had a priest get caught anally raping kids, and then having superior accomplices committing perjury to hide it? Shame on you all. You had a chance to make a statement.....and you did. Pedo State deserves its reputation for child buggery and perjury. Evidently you value football more than children.
Sage of the Age.....Just a guess here - you don't like Penn State and probably never have. I didn't know tht Penn State had a reputation for child buggery and perjury. I'm sure that if that had been the case all along we whould have heard about it before Sandusky was indicted. So you tar and feather all who go to the school as being just like Sandusky.
Normally, I do not believe in gag orders--but this one was more than necessary. Both sides have been far too busy trying this case "in the court of public opinion", instead of before the ultimate finder of fact--whatever jury is empaneled.
In reality, most D.A.s are far too fond of talking to reporters. A general gag order on all prosecutors would probably be a very good idea as a matter of policy--it would help to avoid appeals on the basis of adverse pretrial publicity "polluting" the jury pool. However, as most D.A.s are politicians looking for the chance to run for higher elected office, and do not care a whit about "justice", I do not see that ever happening.
throw him in a cell and melt down the key!
Wow when I read the headline "Sandusky lawyers gagged" it had another meaning. Thank God it just meant they were just told to shut up. Whewww.
For a minute I though he flashed them his Johnson.
It makes no difference what we say here. None of us will eventually sit on his jury, if he elects for one. Our legal system works, for the most part, and it will find any truth available from both the prosecotors, and from the defense. I, personally, would not want to sit in judgement. Tis happened in my backyard, and could have involved family.
Time will tell, in any case. In time we will all know what allegedly happened. I just wish it was all over and done with. If Sandusky is found guilty, there will undoubtedly be appeals. Unfortunately district attorneys do not have the right to "do over".
Sandusky is pond scum. Can't believe he is just on home confinement. Disturbing in light of the upcoming trial. Hope the people of Happy Valley have the stones to punish this poor example of a human being. He has ruined so many lives. Let the "bubbas" at the state pen show him what it feels like to be the victim. Please!
I know he's innocent until proven guilty - but that sh*t eating grin on his face tells the story. Every interview, every press conference, every time he is going in and out of court - that dumb smile is perpetually on his face. I think he really believes he can get away with 52 counts. Sorry - this is not Florida.
He is one sick bastard, hope he has a stoke and is paralized from the neck down.
No way, then he won't feel it when he gets raped in prison!
By Sandusky's on admission, he was naked in the shower with young boys on many occasions. Seems like he is his own worst witness here. I know we are all innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, but you would think his own lawyer would tell hime to shut up.
"Lawyers in Sandusky trial told to zip it"
Excellent headline!!! The author / editor should receive an award.