[h=3]By KRIS MAHER[/h] BELLEFONTE, Pa.—The criminal trial of Jerry Sandusky got under way Monday, seven months after allegations of child-sex abuse surfaced against the former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach.
The focus turns now to the 200-year-old white courthouse fronted with a Greek-revival portico and columns here in the county seat of rural Centre County, where Penn State is located and Mr. Sandusky lives. In a courtroom that holds about 200 people, 12 jurors, including nine with links to Penn State, will hear evidence in a trial that is expected to last about three weeks.
During opening statements, Frank Fina or Joseph McGettigan from the Pennsylvania attorney general's office is expected to give a synopsis of evidence that jurors will hear about 10 young men that Mr. Sandusky allegedly abused over a period of 15 years, starting in 1994. Prosecutors have alleged that Mr. Sandusky preyed on boys after meeting them through the Second Mile charity for at-risk youth he founded.
Mr. Sandusky has said no sexual activity occurred with the boys. He has pleaded not guilty to 52 criminal counts.
"The prosecution always has a golden opportunity to begin the case by laying out for the jury the best scenario about what they intend to prove, hitting all the highlights, the central themes and images," said Bruce Antkowiak, a law professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and a former assistant U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, is expected to try to seed the prosecution theory with doubt, depicting Mr. Sandusky as a generous figure in the community who loves children and has been falsely targeted by the young men for financial gain and perhaps also by overzealous prosecutors. Legal experts said they would be watching to see whether Mr. Amendola indicates that Mr. Sandusky will take the stand in his own defense.
"The defense is going to need in the opening statement to give a whole picture as to why these allegations individually and collectively aren't to be believed," Mr. Antkowiak said. "The jury has to be given a sense of how can all of these people be saying this and it's not true."
The prosecution's potential witness list, read to prospective jurors last week, contains more than 25 names, including the father of Mike McQueary, the assistant Penn State football coach currently on leave who said he saw Mr. Sandusky engaged in some sort of sexual activity with a youth in a Penn State shower in 2001.
The defense's list contains more than 70 names, including Mr. Sandusky's wife, Dottie; six other Sandusky family members; the former chief executive of the Second Mile charity; and at least two psychologists who saw alleged victims and the widow of Joe Paterno, Penn State's longtime football coach. Mr. Paterno was fired in November amid questions over whether he should have done more to ensure that adequate investigations were carried out after he heard of an alleged abuse by Mr. Sandusky in 2001. Mr. Paterno died of cancer in January.
Several legal experts said prosecutors could call far fewer witnesses than those named on the list and rely more on the testimony of the eight known alleged victims. Prosecutors brought charges in two cases where the alleged victims are unknown, based on witness accounts. It doesn't appear that there is any forensic evidence in the case, said experts.
Several legal experts said it is possible that one or more witnesses could testify Monday following opening statements and Mr. Amendola could begin his cross-examination.
The young men—the youngest of whom is 18—will identify themselves as they testify, though Judge John Cleland has said he hopes the media will protect their privacy.
Members of the public and reporters started lining up before 7 a.m. outside the courthouse to wait in line to go inside. Robert Bezilla, 22 years old, who graduated from Penn State this spring with a degree in history, said he wanted to find out how the case will end.
"It was like any other big issue (on campus) in that people did a lot more venting than actual reading on the issue," said Mr. Bezilla, standing at the front of the line. "It's going to be nice to get to trial and hear the facts one way or another."
Write to Kris Maher at [email protected]
The focus turns now to the 200-year-old white courthouse fronted with a Greek-revival portico and columns here in the county seat of rural Centre County, where Penn State is located and Mr. Sandusky lives. In a courtroom that holds about 200 people, 12 jurors, including nine with links to Penn State, will hear evidence in a trial that is expected to last about three weeks.
During opening statements, Frank Fina or Joseph McGettigan from the Pennsylvania attorney general's office is expected to give a synopsis of evidence that jurors will hear about 10 young men that Mr. Sandusky allegedly abused over a period of 15 years, starting in 1994. Prosecutors have alleged that Mr. Sandusky preyed on boys after meeting them through the Second Mile charity for at-risk youth he founded.
Mr. Sandusky has said no sexual activity occurred with the boys. He has pleaded not guilty to 52 criminal counts.
"The prosecution always has a golden opportunity to begin the case by laying out for the jury the best scenario about what they intend to prove, hitting all the highlights, the central themes and images," said Bruce Antkowiak, a law professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and a former assistant U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, is expected to try to seed the prosecution theory with doubt, depicting Mr. Sandusky as a generous figure in the community who loves children and has been falsely targeted by the young men for financial gain and perhaps also by overzealous prosecutors. Legal experts said they would be watching to see whether Mr. Amendola indicates that Mr. Sandusky will take the stand in his own defense.
"The defense is going to need in the opening statement to give a whole picture as to why these allegations individually and collectively aren't to be believed," Mr. Antkowiak said. "The jury has to be given a sense of how can all of these people be saying this and it's not true."
The prosecution's potential witness list, read to prospective jurors last week, contains more than 25 names, including the father of Mike McQueary, the assistant Penn State football coach currently on leave who said he saw Mr. Sandusky engaged in some sort of sexual activity with a youth in a Penn State shower in 2001.
The defense's list contains more than 70 names, including Mr. Sandusky's wife, Dottie; six other Sandusky family members; the former chief executive of the Second Mile charity; and at least two psychologists who saw alleged victims and the widow of Joe Paterno, Penn State's longtime football coach. Mr. Paterno was fired in November amid questions over whether he should have done more to ensure that adequate investigations were carried out after he heard of an alleged abuse by Mr. Sandusky in 2001. Mr. Paterno died of cancer in January.
Several legal experts said prosecutors could call far fewer witnesses than those named on the list and rely more on the testimony of the eight known alleged victims. Prosecutors brought charges in two cases where the alleged victims are unknown, based on witness accounts. It doesn't appear that there is any forensic evidence in the case, said experts.
Several legal experts said it is possible that one or more witnesses could testify Monday following opening statements and Mr. Amendola could begin his cross-examination.
The young men—the youngest of whom is 18—will identify themselves as they testify, though Judge John Cleland has said he hopes the media will protect their privacy.
Members of the public and reporters started lining up before 7 a.m. outside the courthouse to wait in line to go inside. Robert Bezilla, 22 years old, who graduated from Penn State this spring with a degree in history, said he wanted to find out how the case will end.
"It was like any other big issue (on campus) in that people did a lot more venting than actual reading on the issue," said Mr. Bezilla, standing at the front of the line. "It's going to be nice to get to trial and hear the facts one way or another."
Write to Kris Maher at [email protected]