Jerry Sandusky Sentence: 30-60 Years In Prison For Child Abuse [TRIAL DETAILS]
Former Pennsylvania State University football coach Jerry Sandusky stood in a fully-packed court on Tuesday, Oct. 9, and maintained his innocence in a case accusing him of sexually abusing boys on his team for more than a decade. However, Judge John Cleland saw differently, and sentenced him to 30-60 years in prison.
The ruling would make Sandusky, 68, at least 98 years old before he would eligible for parole, Metro New York reported.
"Your crime is not only what you did to their bodies, but your assault on their psyche and their souls," Cleland said. "The tragedy of this story is it is a story of betrayal. Some of the victims had genuine affection for you...You abused the trust of those who trusted you. These are not crimes against strangers, they are much worse.
"I'm not going to sentence you to centuries. It makes no sense for a 68-year-old man. [But] This sentence will put you in prison for the rest of your life."
Standing in a prison-red jumpsuit, in front of an audience that included his wife, Dottie, and victims of the crime, the former coach said, "I did not do these alleged, disgusting acts," after some of the victims took the stand to relay their stories.
Sandusky was first convicted in June of 2012 on 45 counts of child sexual abuse for molesting 10 boys over the course of 15 years that he was coach at the University, Metro reported. Some of the abuse was reported to have occurred on the school's campus, such as in the football team's showers, however, one victim that took the stand on Tuesday in the courtroom, remembered his experience of screaming for help in the basement of Sandusky's home.
The 30-60 years sentence is based on his convictions of "involuntary deviate sexual intercourse" pertaining to the victims that were called on in the case, according to ABC News.
Cleland also ruled that Sandusky would be classified as a "sexually violent predator" and that he must register as a sex offender if he is ever released from prison.