Jerry Sandusky found guilty of child sex abuse, should spend rest of his life in prison

BELLEFONTE, Pa. – Jerry Sandusky was found guilty Friday night on 45 of 48 counts of child sexual molestation and faces up to 442 years in prison.

A jury of Sandusky's Centre County, Pa., neighbors determined that the former Penn State defensive coordinator sexually abused children over a 15-year period, using his stature as a local coaching hero and his position with the Second Mile charity to target and then violate at-risk kids from the area.

The jury deliberated for about 20 hours after a trial that stretched across eight days at Centre County Courthouse.

Sandusky, who was escorted out of the courthouse in handcuffs, will be sentenced at a later date by Judge John Cleland. The precise number of years he faces in prison is unclear, but legal experts say it should be enough to lock the 68-year-old away for life.

"It was the expected outcome because of the overwhelming amount of evidence against Jerry Sandusky," defense attorney Joe Amendola said. "We have some appeal issues we will pursue."

The case rocked this pristine college area when Sandusky was indicted last November. It led to the firing of iconic head football coach Joe Paterno and school president Graham Spanier. Two other university officials, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz, are facing criminal charges for failure to report a crime and perjury. Paterno died of lung cancer in January at age 85.

The state presented an overwhelming case against Sandusky. It was highlighted by powerful personal testimony from eight victims who detailed, often through sobs and gasps of breath, how Sandusky molested them in Penn State locker rooms, Sandusky's basement and hotel rooms.

Sandusky often used his access to Penn State facilities and the football program to lure pre-adolescents into situations where they were alone and the kids were vulnerable.

The state also used testimony from former Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary, who said he walked in on Sandusky and a boy in the locker room showers in 2001, and hearsay testimony from two Penn State janitors who said a third janitor – now senile – saw a similar incident in 2000.

The defense acknowledged from the start it faced a considerable challenge and tried to paint Sandusky as an innocent victim of a grand conspiracy of police and financially motivated victims.

"We were facing such an uphill battle," Amendola said after closing arguments. "It was like climbing Mt. Everest from the base. We just tried to get to an even playing field."

Friday night, Amendola stood on the courthouse steps and said, "Well, obviously we didn't make it".