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| Jerry Sandusky |
You could almost hear the lyrics of the Semisonic song "Closing Time" echoing in the Bellfonte, PA courtroom on Thursday morning.
The reason: Simple. Both the defense...and the prosecution got to present their closing arguments in the trial of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
And if you've been following the case, the arguments went exactly the way you figured that they would.
Defense attorney Joe Amendola, batting leadoff tried to paint the whole thing as a "Consipiracy" and a "Rush to Judgement". He tried very hard to emphasize that the whole issue was spun off of Victim #1. He claimed that Victim #1 exaggerated his claims and that investigators fed off of that and began trying to figure out ways to get others to buy into the story.
Uh huh...yes Joe, you must be right. 8 other victims came forward and all the investigators decided "Oh...Jerry Sanudusky is a public figure. We can charge him with all this stuff and as a result we'll get paid off." Sure...they all conspired to throw all these allegations at a "Former" football coach who had been out of the limelight for what...10-years? And while not poor, was certainly not a multi-millionaire.
Sorry, Joe, while you spent a couple days asking people if Jerry was a good guy and concocting conspiracy theories, you never did ask anybody if these things happened.
Part of your plan? Did you forget?
No, it was the only defense you had. And yeah, we get that you had to go all-in there. It's just really sad that you have to try in make all these people look like they are really evil in doing it.
As for Prosecutor Joseph McGettigan. His case was simple, straightforward and a carbon copy of his opening statement.
He spent a few minutes making a mockery of the defense assertions and also talked at length about having to explain to these victims they were going to be called liars. McGettigan spoke about how each victim had challenges...and fears to overcome by talking about this. And how it affected them.
And really, that is the whole point. Sexual molestation by someone in a position of authority is not something anyone is going to willingly jump in and admit to. Nobody is going to casually accuse someone else of this for financial gain.
Because once they put it out there, it's a stigma they have to live with the rest of their lives. That, at its root, is the reason that such acts are crimes.
Jerry Sandusky can make all the cries for help he wants. He, to this day, hasn't denied having contact with these kids. And having contact in ways that might be considered inappropriate. Think about it. Many of us are former athletes...and because of that, are aware of "community" showers. But never....NEVER, did a coach willingly walk into said shower and start trying to "Clean" any kids off. There is NO world/universe where that would be appropriate.
None.
A defense attorney can say he thinks the victimes all conspired against his client. He can say that the stories had holes. He can say the timelines may be slightly off. He can even say that some details may not be exactly perfect.
But he can't say why anyone would make up such horrific stories. Why would anybody put themselves thru that? How could you live with the stigma that is attached?
No, we think this case will be over with pretty soon. Even in Central Pennsylvania with a primarily Penn State jury, this should be done within the next couple of days.
So stay tuned.
PM UPDATE: Jerry Sandusky's adopted son, Matt, has come forward and said that he was also abused by his father in a statement released by his lawyers. He was prepared to come forward as a witness in the event that Jerry Sandusky himself was to testify. Matt would have been there as part of the prosecution's tack of refuting his father's statements.
"Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's adopted children, asked us to confirm with you the accuracy of this morning's news reports indicating that he was prepared to testify truthfully as a Commonwealth witness," attorneys Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici said in a statement. " During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse.
"At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators. This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy. There will be no further comment at this time."
Matt Sandusky had previously denied being abused by his father.
