Opening Statements Begin In Jerry Sandusky Child Sex Abuse Case
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (CBS/AP) — One of Jerry Sandusky's alleged victims said he was sexually abused as a young teenager on campus and then in hotel saunas, starting with showers that turned into oral sex.
Prosecutors called the witness Victim No. 4. The man, now 28, spoke calmly and firmly when questioned by lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan III.
Victim 4 said he was sexually abused by Sandusky 40 times in the mid- to late-90s. He testified that he met Sandusky when he was 13 at a Second Mile camp at Penn State. Sandusky took an interest in him and reportedly began asking him to do things like workout or play racquetball.
Sandusky sat still during the testimony Monday as the man explained that he began showering with the former Penn State assistant football coach in 1997.
He said that what began as "soap battles" escalated into inappropriate touching and oral sex. Those battles "eventually led to him getting a lot closer to [the victim], bear hugging, grappling."
The alleged victim also said he was forced to touch Sandusky's penis and other parts of his body, and that when he tried to push away once, Sandusky "got angry." He testified that Sandusky tried to penetrate him on at least one occasion, and that the coach also tried to get him to perform oral sex.
The alleged victim said he received letters from Sandusky, too, including one on Penn State letterhead that reportedly read, "I know that I have made my share of mistakes. However, I hope that I will be able to say that I cared. There has been love in my heart."
It was signed: "With love, Jerry"
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