The alleged abuse of adopted son Matt (above) came to light.
SICK: As a jury weighed the fate of Jerry Sandusky yesterday, the alleged abuse of adopted son Matt (right) came to light. (
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One of Jerry Sandusky’s six adopted children was ready to testify that the former Penn State assistant football coach sexually abused him.
Matt Sandusky, 33, contacted lawyer Andrew Shubin and asked to arrange a meeting with prosecutors, the Patriot-News newspaper of Pennsylvania said.
Matt Sandusky had denied having been molested by his adoptive father but changed his mind during the nine days of often excruciating testimony.
“This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt,” said Shubin, who said the son would not talk publicly now.
NBC News reported that Jerry Sandusky intended to take the stand to deny sex attacks on 10 boys over a 15-year period but that his lawyers overruled him when they learned that Matt Sandusky would testify against him as a rebuttal witness.
The reports about Matt Sandusky came as jurors began weighing the charges that could send Jerry Sandusky to prison for nearly 500 years.
In his closing argument, Sandusky’s lawyer claimed the 68-year-old defendant had been too old to become a child rapist.
“All these alleged charges only go back to the mid- ’90s,” defense attorney Joseph Amendola said.
“So, out of the blue, after all these years, when Jerry Sandusky is in his mid-50s, Jerry decides to become a pedophile?
“Does that make sense to anybody?” Amendola asked the jury. “It doesn’t add up. It makes no sense.”
Prosecutor Joseph McGettigan told jurors it made no sense for law-enforcement officials to conspire to bring down a once-respected figure like Sandusky.
“What would we gain?” he asked.
McGettigan told jurors to focus instead on the 10 accusers, boys who were as young as 12 when, they said, they were attacked by Sandusky.
“I feel as if I have pieces of 10 souls in my pockets,” he said before walking across the courtroom to stand next to a seated Sandusky — who looked with a start over his shoulder.
“Give them back their souls,” the prosecutor said.