Judge throws out 3 of 51 counts against Sandusky

[Fan123]

So what are your thoughts? Is he guilty or innocent? Closing arguments began this morning and could begin deliberations by this afternoon.

http://news.yahoo.com/judge-throws-3...5952--spt.html

[Karina1974]

Shouldn't this be in OTBT? This is hardly politics-oriented.

[Fan123]

Shouldn't this be in OTBT? This is hardly politics-oriented.

Yeah, I wasn't sure...thought about it. Can one of the admins please move it there? Thanks!

[milanessa]

CNN is reporting that Matt Sandusky, an adopted son of Jerry Sandusky and his wife, was prepared to testify that he was sexually abused. Not sure why the prosecution didn't call him to the stand. Now that the jury is already deliberating it seems pointless to bring it up. I can't yet find a link.

[barbk]

I think that the prosecution has to declare all potential witnesses in advance of the trial, and can only add witnesses to try and impeach someone's testimony -- so if Sandusky took the stand, and the prosecutor during cross examination asked him a question about the shower incident that one of the victims said Sandusky's son saw the start of before quickly leaving the shower area -- if Sandusky denied that, then they might be able to bring Matt in to impeach him. I do not think they'd be allowed to introduce anything about Matt's abuse allegations at this stage unless Sandusky opened that door. It may be part of the reasoning to not put Sandusky up on the stand.

(But I am not a lawyer...though I do like my Michael Connelly books)

Here's a link for ya, Milanessa: http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.T-OjWytYshw

[milanessa]

Here's a link for ya, Milanessa: http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.T-OjWytYshw

Thanks.

[barbk]

It appears mystery reading DOES have some benefits:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/jerry-sandu...8#.T-SB0ytYshw

"Sources close to the case said that Matt Sandusky contacted prosecutors late last week to say that he was willing to testify. Prosecutors couldn't call him to the stand for direct questioning because he was not included in the charges against his father.

But they could have called Matt Sandusky to the stand as a rebuttal witness if Jerry Sandusky took the stand, sources said.

Lawyers for Jerry Sandusky said they were considering allowing him to testify up until the last day of testimony Wednesday."

[milanessa]

I wonder if new charges will be brought, especially if he (Jerry Sandusky) is acquitted of these charges. Is there a statute of limitations in PA for this type of crime?

[Lacey]

I was not really paying attention to the news/news magazine shows last night, but I think I heard one of the reporters say that the adopted son's accusations could be brought up later in a federal indictment if this first (presumably state or local) indictment finds him not guilty. I think the son stepped forward too late (last fall?) for this case.

[WindSpirit]

So what are your thoughts? Is he guilty or innocent?

Are there any people left who think he's innocent? His victims have testified as well as witnesses who saw him raping the kids. How on earth can anyone still think he's innocent?

[Kasey]

Guilty guilty guilty. And although for the case of innocent vs. guilty, 48 counts should be as good as 51, I'm sorry for those people who's cases weren't considered strong enough to hold up in court.

[PDilemma]

Are there any people left who think he's innocent? His victims have testified as well as witnesses who saw him raping the kids. How on earth can anyone still think he's innocent?

My father was starting to fall for the "troubled kids" who must be lying defense when we were talking about it yesterday. He also informed us that high school coaches used the same showers as players when he played football in the 50s. I said that they really shouldn't have. He started the "you don't understand football" defense. (We never "understand football" which is becoming a mantra for so many things as he ages and idealizes his high school sports days--it's like Springsteen's "Glory Days"). So my husband asked him if a) there were 10 year olds there, too and b) if his coaches were putting soap on them, hugging them, tickling them and all the other weirdness that Sandusky actually admitted to doing in those showers. Of course, the answer was "hell no". He started to rethink it. He also conceded that when he really thinks about it, his coaches should not have been in the showers anyway and could have bathed at home.

If you think about it, Sandusky had the perfect thing going. He "helped" these "troubled" boys. All the helping gave him this "saintly" reputation and their backgrounds provided his defense that they are so troubled and had such a rough life that they must be liars, too. It is stomach-turning.

[barbk]

Our rec centers all (still) have communal showers, but in the women's showers I've never seen anyone sharing a showerhead except moms with young children -- under about 7.

[PDilemma]

Our rec centers all (still) have communal showers, but in the women's showers I've never seen anyone sharing a showerhead except moms with young children -- under about 7.

I've been to centers with communal showers and rarely seen anyone use them at all. If they do, it is very quickly.

My college dorm had big communal showers on all floors except one (a women's dorm in the 90s no less). Something my father apparently never knew when I was lectured about football and locker room showers yesterday.

I never heard of coaches using the locker room showers at all in the entire 16 years I taught in very sports-focused high schools. I would guess that it never happened--especially not in Catholic school where there are so many safeguards about avoiding abuse. And it seems to me that it should not be happening anywhere. Not even in a college.

[WindSpirit]

If you think about it, Sandusky had the perfect thing going. He "helped" these "troubled" boys. All the helping gave him this "saintly" reputation and their backgrounds provided his defense that they are so troubled and had such a rough life that they must be liars, too. It is stomach-turning.

It's often vulnerable kids like that who fall prey to predators like him because there are no adults looking out for them and the kids are looking for someone to take care of them or just to belong somewhere. How can you abuse a child's trust like that in general but especially when s/he's looking up to you, it's repugnant.

I'm glad I don't have kids because you can't really trust anybody with kids. Even doctors. If that ever happened to my child, who knows I could have been in jail, someone might have ended up dead.

[heckles]

He "helped" these "troubled" boys. All the helping gave him this "saintly" reputation and their backgrounds provided his defense that they are so troubled and had such a rough life that they must be liars, too.

Sounds like the reasoning some people used against Michael Jackson's accusers.

[PDilemma]

Sounds like the reasoning some people used against Michael Jackson's accusers.

Yep. Including the defendant is wealthy and the accusers just want money defense, too.

I saw today that the loyal family friends have come out to say his adopted son was "troubled" and is lying.

[heckles]

I saw today that the loyal family friends have come out to say his adopted son was "troubled" and is lying.

Maybe he's "troubled" because his adoptive father raped him?

[BigB08822]

Yep. Including the defendant is wealthy and the accusers just want money defense, too.

I saw today that the loyal family friends have come out to say his adopted son was "troubled" and is lying.

People can be so ignorant. If the son was/is troubled it could very well be because he was molested while growing up. That would probably cause just about anyone to be troubled.

ETA: Heckles beat me to it.

[PDilemma]

Maybe he's "troubled" because his adoptive father raped him?

No kidding.

But the son was a foster child brought into the Sandusky home at ten years old.