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Jerry Sandusky Verdict: The Three Charges For Which Sandusky Was Found Not Guilty

The Harrisburg Patriot-News has a complete list of the charges against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, and on which charges he was found guilty.

Sandusky was found guilty of 45 of 48 charges. He was sent directly to jail after the verdict was read, and he’ll almost certainly spend the rest of his life behind bars, as he obviously should. It’s worth investigating the charges for which he was found not guilty, however, simply to better understand the verdict.

Victim 2
Count 7: Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse

Victim 5
Count 24: Indecent assault

Victim 6
Count 28: Indecent assault

Sandusky was found guilty of several other charges involving each of Victims 2, 5 and 6, so the jury clearly felt Sandusky abused these victims. Beyond that, I’m not a lawyer, and it would be unwise for me to speculate on these charges until someone who’s better-qualified can explain them more thoroughly. Importantly, though, Victim 2 was the unknown victim who Mike McQueary witnessed assaulting in a Penn State shower. McQueary testified that he did not see sexual penetration, so it sounds like that’s why Sandusky was found not guilty of that charge but found guilty in his dealings with Victim 2 of indecent assault, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors and endangering welfare of children.

Victim 5 said Sandusky showered with him and forced him to touch Sandusky. Victim 6 said that Sandusky called himself the “tickle monster” and embraced him. It’s not yet clear to me why Sandusky was found not guilty of indecent assault of those victims. He was, however, found guilty of unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors and endangering welfare of children in his dealings with both Victim 5 and Victim 6.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.