Jerry Sandusky receives 30- to 60-year sentence

Last Updated 1:15 p.m. ET

BELLEFONTE, Pa. Jerry Sandusky was sentenced Tuesday to at least 30 years in prison -- effectively a life sentence -- in the child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno's downfall.

Judge John Cleland sentenced the 68-year-old former assistant football coach to 30 years minimum to 60 years maximum in prison. Under Pennsylvania law, Sandusky cannot be released on parole before the minimum term is up.

A defiant Sandusky gave a long, rambling statement in which he denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being away from his family.

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Sandusky prosecutor: Sentence was "wise and proper"

Outside the courthouse after the sentencing, prosecutor Joseph McGettigan praised the victims for their bravery in coming forward and called Sandusky's punishment a "wise and proper one." He called the former football coach's statement "a masterpiece of banal self-delusion" that was "entirely self-focused as if he again were the victim."

Sandusky was found guilty in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, convicted of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period. Witnesses said Sandusky used the charitable organization he founded for troubled children as his personal hunting ground to find and groom boys to become his victims.

His arrest 11 months ago, and the details that came out during his trial over the summer, transformed Sandusky's public image from a college coach who had been widely admired for his work with The Second Mile charity into that of a reviled pervert who preyed on the very youngsters who sought his help.

Eight of the boys he was found guilty of molesting testified at his trial, describing a range of abuse that included fondling, oral sex and anal intercourse. One of the prosecution's star witnesses, former graduate assistant Mike McQueary, testified that he saw Sandusky raping a boy in a locker room shower.

• Prosecutor: Sundusky was running a "victim factory"
• Defiant Jerry Sandusky arrives in court for sentencing
• Sandusky set for sentencing, proclaims innocence

Victim statements recalling the trauma from Sandusky's crimes were read at today's sentencing. One person, known as Victim 1 in the case, wrote: "I have tried to think of the words that would describe how Jerry Sandusky has impacted my life. It all began with Jerry Sandusky building my trust over a long period of time. Then came the ultimate betrayal. My psychologist describes it as PTSD -- I describe it as emotional agony. ...

"To the end Jerry Sandusky wanted to manipulate and abuse each of the victims. No remorse, only evil."

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Jerry Sandusky gets 30 to 60 years in prison

In a victim impact statement, the mother of Victim 9 wrote, "Words cannot describe the pain you have caused my son and my family. Not only did you heap lifelong problems upon my son, you did it for your own gratification. You were molesting him and forever changing his life for the worse. He lost weight, got sick a lot, was getting in trouble at school, I thought it was my fault. I blame myself, and still do, for his sick indulgences."

She told of how her son tried twice to take his own life. "You have forever injured not only my son, but your other victims as well. Shame on you, Mr. Sandusky, for your narcissistic acts. My poor son. You took something from him that can never be replaced. His childhood, his youth. You are a horrible person."

Victim 6 spoke in court, crying as he told of how he felt "manipulated" by Sandusky.

"That night you told me you were the 'tickle monster' so you could touch my 11-year-old body and get me to think that what you were doing was OK. I have been left with deep painful wounds ... words can simply not defend. There are so many times of confusion, sadness ...

"I have now begun my journey to healing. I have not by any means arrived."

He told Sandusky that the former coach and founder of the charity The Second Mile was in denial about everything he had done. "I believe you are only fooling yourself. It is time to stop coming up with excuses for your behavior. Jesus will forgive you. If you remain in denial, even though deep down you know what really happened, you will not be able to receive forgiveness. There is no other way ... There is a bigger judgment to come."

Sandusky smirked throughout the statement.

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[fredo-IsDead]

They Can Never Take Away My Memories
BY JERRY SANDUSKY
OCTOBER 11, 2012
Sitting here in Camp Hill state penitentiary just outside of Harrisburg, PA, I begin a new chapter of my life, one in which I am completely cut off from the outside world, with virtually all my personal freedoms stripped away. Well, I may have lost my career, the support of my friends and family, and my worldly possessions, but there is one important thing I will have for the rest of my life: all my happy memories of molesting defenseless little boys over the past 35 years.

Those wonderful thoughts and recollections—and there are thousands of them—can never be taken away from me. Not by you, the Penn State Board of Trustees, the jurors who found me guilty, or the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Those fond remembrances are all mine.

This may be hard for you to hear, but in my mind, I am a free man: Free to think about the countless number of boys whose lives I destroyed for my own sick pleasure. Free to think—while working a mundane prison job or just sitting silently as each day passes—about the very first time I made a little boy touch my ***** and the happiness that brought me. For example, I'm writing this in a prison cell, but that doesn't prevent my mind from drifting off, magically, to Penn State circa 2006. And instead of sitting behind bars, I'm once again at my youth football camp, playfully sucking off little boys in the shower without a care in the world.

Can a prison guard order me to stop thinking about that? He can try, but it won't work. It's impossible.

It's true I no longer have the privileges you do. I can't go to restaurants or drive my car. I can't even go down to the corner store to buy a newspaper. I am, however, in complete control of when I choose to think about all those times I engaged in deviant sexual intercourse with a minor. And those memories of forcing children to pleasure me sexually make me very, very happy. Very happy. What I'm saying, essentially, is that even though I'm locked away for good, I have the ability to make myself happy anytime I want for the rest of my life, and there's nothing any of you can do about it.

The truth of the matter is, folks, I can happily masturbate to these memories until the day I die. Happily, and without punishment. In fact, I intend to masturbate tonight, in prison, while thinking about what I did to more than 100 different children. And I intend to do so furiously and remorselessly, with a big ol' grin on my face!

From here on out, when you think about me, Jerry Sandusky, know that I'm not actually suffering. It's true. I take comfort knowing that, quite frankly, all isn't lost. Sure, I can't eat or sleep on my own schedule, but my brain is a bountiful treasure trove filled with tender reminiscences of fondling multitudes of little boys. And I'm the only one who holds the key to that big, beautiful treasure chest. No handcuffs or prison bars can prevent me from opening it up anytime I choose and rooting around inside for a choice sexual memory to enjoy.

When I was in the courtroom for sentencing, all I was thinking about was the time I anally penetrated a child in his camp dorm room. Could anyone know that's what was on my mind? No. Could anyone tell me not to think that? No. Did it comfort me in a trying time? Heck, you bet it did.

Now, there will be times during my life sentence when I'll think about how I'm eventually going to die behind bars. And I'm sure I'll be treated poorly by the guards and receive numerous ruthless beatings from my fellow inmates. But even in those painful moments when someone is slamming a dumbbell into my face, I will feel no amount of hurt inside, because the memory of every single boy whose ******* I fingered will provide me with comfort.

In fact, when I'm getting raped in the shower, it will simply take me back to all those happy days when I raped kids in the shower. I tell you, the mind is such a powerful thing.

This is probably very upsetting to all of you, but it's the honest truth. So just be aware that I'll be constantly thinking about the boys I molested, and those thoughts will fill me with pleasure. It's what's going to happen, and nobody, certainly not the law, can stop me.

I am a monster.

[bobbynorwich22]

Incredibly, yesterday Penn State's radio station aired a 4 minute statement by Sandusky made just hours before sentencing which was a shortened version of his "blame the victims" diatribe in court today. PSU in the civil trials will have to explain why it allowed Sandusky's non-apology to be aired on its radio station, essentially calling the victims "liars" and revictimizing them.

I say it's worth a few more million in punitive damages.

[nanasdarlins]

. There needs to be a federally mandated automatic death sentence (with no lengthly appeals) for crimes committed against children. Or we could just let the families of the victims take care of the perverts in whatever way they see fit.

[themanfrombrum]

Paterno's dead, Sandusky's now in a jumpsuit and won't be coming home, Penn State President has been fired, and now with lawsuits pending, hopefully massing into billions (being America!), looks like the university may have to permanently close its doors. But more than anything, may all the victims along with their families rise to be totally healed and restored. I'm thinking of THEM today.

[lnytnz]

even criminals have their own code of justice. and they hate child molesters
He's dead meat

[marine1957]

All the victims are lying about Jerry - He says he's innocent; he's the only one telling the truth...
Yah, tell me about it!

[PipeNozzle]

So now that Sandusky is locked away, it's time to bring his enablers to court, including Graham Spanier. Spanier has a long history of bending the rules dating at least from his time as provost at Oregon State, years before he arrived at Penn State. See Voices from the Academic Underground and Seven Two. The latter is a novel based on Spanier's corruption at Oregon State.

[Mick_from_Amsterdam]

Sandusky must be laughing up his sleeve about the slap on the wrist he received for his sordid victimization of only 8 boys...and @ a mere 8 months per count

And he's gotta be downright elated when he smugly recalls the hundreds of individual felonies perpetrated on the many carefully selected and groomed young victims still unknown...perverted conquests that they didn't uncover and convict him for.

But on the plus side...I foresee many new experiences in store for Jerry Sandusky in mainstream population...

Shattering, life-altering experiences...similar to those he inflicted on so many innocent kids...but hopefully, with lots of gratuitous violence and scornful abuse as well...

I wish you an interminably long and excruciating life, Jerry...you've earned your special place in prison society...

[commentingnow]

Too bad he couldn't get another 10 years added on for the smirking during his victim's statement. Also too bad that Dottie Sandusky won't be going to a prison for women. She must have known something.

[kbbpll]

8 months for each count seems a little light. Sandusky, you can stop saying "alleged acts" now. You have been tried, convicted, and sentenced. Your acts are no longer alleged.