Jerry Sandusky sentenced to decades in prison

Oct 9, 2012 | News

By Heather VanAndel

Jerry Sandusky was the football coach for Penn State University. PHOTO COURTESY FLICKR

Jerry Sandusky was sentenced in Pennsylvania on Tuesday to a maximum of 60 years in prison on 45 counts of child sex-abuse.

The minimum sentence for the former football coach with Penn State University is would be 30 years.

According to Pennsylvania law, he cannot be released on parole before this minimum term is up, CBS news reported.

This is essentially a life sentence for 68-year-old Sandusky, as it will leave him in prison until he is at least 98 years old.

He was sentenced by Judge John Cleland four months after  a jury found him guilty. He faced 48 charges in all.

“I think that it is a very fair conviction in this trial,” Chris Wilkins, a long time Humber Women’s Volleyball coach, told Humber News on Tuesday.

Wilkins said that young athletes and parents put their trust in their coaches and when that trust is broken it is nearly impossible to repair.

“I am glad he got that sentence, and I wish he could have gotten even more,” said Wilkins.

According to The Associated Press Sandusky will most likely be sent to Camp Hill State Prison in the central part of Pennsylvania and upon his arrival be evaluated by the Department of Corrections personnel.

They will then determine where his sentence will be served.

CNN reporter Jason Carroll said that in a statement near the end of his trial Sandusky told the court “I am filled with emotion and determination. I did not do those disgusting acts.”

Joe Amendola, Sandusky’s attorney, told CNN news that throughout the entire trial process Sandusky never flinched from his position, that he was innocent.

Amendola said that the defense was not given enough time to properly analyze new material and that this left them “[flying] by the seats of [their] pants” for the trial.

In planning their argument for appeal, Amendola said their main argument is that “the trial started way to soon, and that the defense did not have the proper time to plan,” according to CNN.