Dottie Sandusky Sends Note To Judge In Husband's Sex Abuse Case, Criticizes Son For Testifying
Before Jerry Sandusky, the former Pennsylvania State University football coach accused of sexual abuse, was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison, his wife, Dottie, sent a note to the judge that gave the ruling, criticizing her husband's accusers.
In the letter, she particularly criticized her son Matt, who was adopted by the couple when he was a teenager. Matt took the stand in court and told prosecutors that he was among the victims sexually molested by Jerry.
"As far as our son Matt goes, people need to know what kind of person he is," Dottie wrote in a letter to Judge John Cleland before the sentencing. "We have forgiven him many times for all he has done to our family thinking that he was changing his life, but he would always go back to his stealing and lies."
In the letter, Dottie claimed Matt was bipolar, had multiple run-ins with the law and stole money from the Sandusky family.
ABC noted that Matt at first defended his father throughout investigation in the case, however, he changed his mind and offered to testify against his father once the trial began.
On Tuesday, Oct. 9, Jerry 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."
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 New York 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.
