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Subscribe to RSSThe prosecution in Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse trial finished their case against the former Penn State assistant football coach Thursday with the ninth alleged victim, who said he never told anyone about the three years of abuse he allegedly suffered because he thought no one would believe him. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports.
Updated at 6:58 p.m. ET: The final prosecution witness in the child sexual abuse trial of former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky testified Thursday that Sandusky forcibly raped him on several occasions.
The testimony came on the fourth day of Sandusky's trial on 52 counts alleging that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years. Two grand jury reports accused him of having used his connection to one of the nation's premier college football programs to "groom" the boys, whom he met through his Second Mile charity for troubled children, for sexual relationships. Sandusky has pleaded not guilty.
The 18-year-old man, identified in the indictment as "Victim 9," testified that he cried out for help as Sandusky raped him in the basement of the Sandusky home, but no one came to his assistance. He said he believed that the basement was soundproofed and that Sandusky's wife, Dottie, couldn't hear his pleas.
It was the most graphic and dramatic testimony so far at the trial in Bellefonte, Pa. Afterward, Judge John Cleland announced that the prosecution had concluded its case and that the defense would begin Monday after a three-day break.
Wednesday: Alleged victim testifies Sandusky threatened him unless he kept quiet
Legal analysis: Sandusky lawyer flummoxed by witness' memory lapse
The man said he stayed overnight at Sandusky's house between 50 and 100 times. He said Sandusky began forcibly raping him beginning when he was "maybe 13."
The 18-year-old known as 'Victim 9' told the court about a pattern of sexual assaults over three years that he allegedly endured in the basement of Jerry Sandusky's home. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports from Bellefonte, Pa.
On some occasions, he said, the assaults were so forceful that he would bleed from his anus. He said he didn't seek medical attention; instead, "I just dealt with it."
"What was I going to do? I mean, he was a big guy," the man said. "He was bigger than me at the time, way bigger than me."
The man said he told no one about the abuse — even police when they began investigating — because he thought no one would believe him.
"He's an important guy — he's a football coach," he said. "Who would believe kids?"
On cross-examination, the man acknowledged that despite the "horrible" things Sandusky did to him, he continued to accept tickets to Penn State football games from the defendant as recently as last November. He said he did so "because I had a friend with me" who "had my back at the time."
The man's testimony was the most disturbing of that of all eight of the alleged victims who agreed to testify at Sandusky's trial.
Previous witnesses testified that Sandusky engaged in oral sex and groped their genitals, and another witness, former Penn State assistant coach Michael McQueary, testified that he saw Sandusky engaging in sex with a young boy in a Penn State shower. But none of the previous witnesses has described the sexual relation as having occurred under extreme force.
Defense attorney Joseph Amendola, as he has with most of the other alleged victims, closely questioned the man on precise details about what allegedly happened and when, part of a strategy to raise questions about whether the accusers — some of whom have sued the university or have said they plan to sue Sandusky — are making up their stories for financial gain.
Penn State accused of slowing investigation
Earlier Thursday, Anthony Sassano, an investigator with the state attorney general's office, testified that Penn State dragged its heels numerous times on cooperating with the investigation, requiring investigators to seek search warrants and to subpoena the names of university employees.
"Penn State, to be quite frank, was not very fast on getting us the information," he said in the latest of several accounts jurors have heard that suggested that university administrators and local prosecutors knew about Sandusky's alleged pedophilia for many years but chose not to take action.
Full coverage of the Jerry Sandusky trial
Ronald Schreffler, who as a Penn State police investigator began investigating Sandusky in the late 1990s, also testified that he believed Sandusky was allowed to get away with his alleged behavior for far too many years, saying Sandusky should have faced criminal charges as long as 14 years ago.
Schreffler, who now works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, testified that when he and youth services officials recommended that Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar bring criminal charges, Gricar declined. The decision by Gricar — who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 2005 and has been declared dead — remains one of the central mysteries of the Sandusky investigation.
'Jer' needs a 'best friend'
Some of the most bizarre evidence of the entire trial also emerged Thursday, including a "short story" Sandusky wrote that described his relationship with a boy who apparently attended his camps, which was found in one of the boxes at Penn State.
In the story, which was read aloud in court, Sandusky refers to himself in the third person as "Jer" and to the boy by his first name. Although Sandusky's alleged victims are being identified by name in court, NBC News and msnbc.com do not identify alleged victims of sexual assaults and have replaced the young man's name with (X).
"I'm Jerry. (X) is a young man who came into Jer's life," the story reads.
Later, telling how "Jer" was distressed that the boy had broken off the relationship, the story continues:
"'Tell me another story, Jer,' has been replaced with 'I don't care.' This cloud has destroyed soccer and hockey, choked smiles and laughter. There is fear that has reached his inside and killed his feelings. ...
"Jer might not be worthy, but he needs a 'best friend.'"
The trial, which opened Monday in Centre County Court, follows months of intense coverage of the case that led to the firing of Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, a college football legend who won more games than any other major college coach in history. Sandusky, who was at his side for many of those victories, was for many years presumed to be Paterno's heir apparent.
Paterno died in January, a few weeks after the Penn State Board of Trustees dismissed him for not having done enough to stop Sandusky's alleged abuse.
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The bottom line is that sex is NOT for children. It is the parents' job to teach their children about their bodies and proper behavior. A parent must instill those boundaries and prepare a child to reject any inappropriate advances from a predator. If a parent has not given their child any guidelines, a child does not know better. So yes, that child could "easily" go back for more abuse. And they often do not have the instincts or nerve to protect themselves. Many kids are passive, not aggressive. An older, experienced predator also does not always abuse with pain. Many times, they abuse with pleasure because they know what "feels good." If a child gets pleasure from the sexual abuse, why would he/she then tell on the abuser? He feels like he asked for it and he also feels guilt and shame if he liked it. I personally believe there are many homosexual men who were not born that way, but were victimized by other males as children. If they weren't already sure of their sexuality when the abuse occurred, they CAN find themselves identifying with their earliest sexual experiences. We need to stop blaming children when they are taken advantage of. We also need to pay attention to children we see out in the world, especially fatherless kids and those who seem to be troubled. MEN, you especially need to start taking a better interest in your kids, as predators know when you are present in the lives of your children. I don't care if you didn't want the kid in the first place or you hate your ex-wife. This is your offspring. This is a human being who has to grow up and become productive in our society. You'll be thinking about these children when you are lying on your death bed, not what many of you are into right now. If you are strong and close/involved in your child's life, predators will know it and fear you... as they should. You are the protectors of your family. God assigned that role to YOU!
Sandusky will enjoy prison. The cavity searches, bunking with other males, etc. Right up his "alley" so to speak.
There is no doubt the reason Sandusky never got arrested or went to trial back in 1998 after the one victim's mother reported him is because the big shots at Penn State wanted it covered up to protect their reputation. They knew damned well that Sandusky was a pedophile. It's a small community and almost everyone there is connected to Penn State in some way so I guess it wasn't hard to get the police and the D.A. to back off. Protect the school and the damned football team at all costs and the hell with all the boys who were being abused. This is so disgusting it makes me want to vomit. I hope the jury finds this pervert guilty. And when Sandusky goes to jail I hope he suffers the same fate as that pedophile priest in Massachusetts who was beaten to death by another inmate who had been molested when he was a boy.He deserves nothing less.
In reply to BP GRAPE...Did you ever think maybe the young man commited suicide or is a drug or alcoholic? Look at the victims of the catholic church. Go to any native American reservation in the US or Canada and meet some of the victims of forced boarding school. Most after 30-40 yrs still do NOT want to talk about it. I know someone who's brother was forced to eat his own vomit after performing oral sex on a priest. Another who had a baby by a priest that was shown how to suffocate the baby with her breast by the nuns shortly after the birth. Shall I go on? Child molestation needs to be dealt with severely! Let's see if Sandusky gets away with a slap on the hand!
I believe the Catholic Priesthood is overwhelmingly an "escape" for sexually abused males, homosexuals and child predators who want to hide from their truth. Only a most devout man of God would willingly deny his sexual urges. Doing so is not even biblical. Man decided that as a requirement, not God. That is why it has failed so miserably.
If they locked up all the pedophiles, there wouldn't be any white men left in America!
"He put his penis in my butt," the witness said bluntly. "He got real aggressive and he forced me into it. There was no fighting against it, sometimes I'd scream, tell him to get off of me." "It happened again, a few times.............until I grew a pair of balls, I had enough of it." This is direct testimony from an 18 year old man who was forced to have sex with Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky. Where is the outrage in America, especially from the male population? When are American males going to "grow a pair of balls?" Where has it been mentioned by the American press that Sandusky is a homosexual? Oh, is it because he has a wife that the news media doesn't consider him a homosexual? Just what is the definition of homosexual that would prevent the illustrious news media from not associating the word, homosexual, with Jerry Sandusky? Well to save you the trouble of looking it up; here is the definition of homosexual: 1: of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex. 2: of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex. What a surprise. Jerry Sandusky, clearly, is a homosexual. So just why is it not reported and attached in articles after his name? Could it be that the liberal Democrats and the equally liberal Republicans don't want to lose the vote from the perverted homosexuals of this nation? Oh, am I out of line calling homosexuals perverted? Lord Howard Hurts freedomfiles.blogspot.com
I'll bet that "Animal" doesn't want anything stuck into HIS butt!
Years ago, I had an ex-boyfriend and an ex-husband try to pull that crap on me. Thankfully I was a young adult woman who had already processed my thoughts about certain sexual acts. I was outraged!!! I told them they would NEVER get that from me. I also ended the relationships swiftly. And I will never again spend time with/date/marry a man who does not share my strong values.
I feel for gays and lesbians, and two consenting adults do what they want in the privacy of their home, but personally, I do not believe that part of the human body is a sexual organ. If it were not for strong sexual drives and desires, no sane person would accept objects in their rectums.
Sandusky is not just homosexual. He is a pedophile. He wasn't just looking for love or a relationship with a male. He preyed on young boys and he also tortured and traumatized boys by forcing his penis into their bodies and causing pain and suffering.
What I'd like to know is if Sandusky was also traumatized in this way. Someone needs to get into his head. Somebody "out there" knows something about his past and childhood, and I would not be surprised to learn that a male raped him too. No excuse though. He took the low road if he was abused and became the abuser. He could have taken the high one and been a great role model for someone who survived and conquered.
See Jerry Sandusky is Bi Sexual..To have children to come over at gays or bi sexual house is a no no..
msnbc us: June 15: "In what both sides described as a momentous ruling, a jury in Oakland, Calif., has found that Jehovah’s Witnesses was partly responsible for the alleged sexual abuse of a girl by one of its members and must pay her more than $20 million.
The Alameda County Superior Court jury on Thursday awarded $21 million in punitive damages to the plaintiff, who is now 26 years old. That was on top of the $7 million in compensatory damages it awarded her on Wednesday."
Twenty five percent of all children in the US are in poverty, and this is just one way at risk people will end up being victimized.