‘It was like I was his girlfriend’
Prosecution calls accused a ‘predatory pedophile,’ while defence says he’s naive
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — The first witness called in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse trial testified on Monday that the former Penn State assistant football coach treated him like “his girlfriend” when he was a young teenager, showering together and engaging in oral sex.
The testimony by the 28-yearold man came after jurors heard opening statements from prosecutors and the defence as the closely watched trial got underway in Pennsylvania.
Prosecutor Joseph McGettigan III branded the 68-year-old Sandusky a “predatory pedophile” and said his young victims remained silent out of fear and shame.
As the prosecutor spoke, the white-haired Sandusky sat silently, hunched forward with his back to the packed courtroom.
Defence lawyer Joe Amendola told the seven women and five men of the jury that Sandusky was a naive man filled with love and affection for young people.
“Jerry Sandusky, in my opinion, loves kids so much he does things that none of us would ever think of doing,” Amendola said.
Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse against 10 boys. If convicted, the former Penn State football defensive co-ordinator could be sentenced to more than 500 years in prison.
The opening witness called by prosecutors told jurors he met Sandusky when he was 13 years old, in 1996 or 1997.
He said his relationship with Sandusky evolved from showering together after workouts at Pennsylvania State University facilities, to the coach putting his hand on his leg while driving in a car, to oral sex, as well as being lavished with gifts.
“It was basically like I was his girlfriend. It was the way I would treat my girlfriend,” the man testified.
A handwritten letter allegedly sent by Sandusky to the witness was placed into evidence on Monday. “I know that I have made my share of mistakes,” it read. “There has been love in my heart. My wish is that you care and have love in your heart.”
Sandusky is accused of using the Second Mile, a charity he founded in 1977, to prey on needy young boys. The charity said last month it was closing because contributions had dried up
In a flurry of motions filed on Monday, another defence lawyer, Karl Rominger, said he would likely call an expert witness to explain that a psychological problem suffered by Sandusky, known as histrionic personality disorder, led him to write “love letters” to his alleged victims even though he was not trying to lure them into sex.
Prosecutors allege Sandusky had physical contact with the boys, known in court documents as Victims 1 to 10, that ranged from tickling and a “soap battle” in Penn State showers to oral and anal sex.
Eight men are due to testify about how Sandusky befriended and sexually abused them over a 15-year period, according to prosecutors.
Rominger said he believed the prosecution planned to use the notes attributed to Sandusky to try to show he was grooming his victims for abuse.
“The goal of a person suffering this (histrionic personality) disorder in writing those letters would not necessarily be to groom or sexually consummate a relationship in a criminal manner, but rather to satisfy the needs of a psyche belabored by the needs of the disorder,” Rominger said in the motion.
Amendola hinted that the accusers could be out for money, saying that six of the eight identified accusers had taken the step of hiring civil attorneys.