Jerry Sandusky‘s trial for over 50 counts of child-sex abuse dating back to the 1990’s begins today following last week’s jury selection. If a report from ABC World News is correct, intimate and “creepy” love letters allegedly written by Sandusky to his victims will be read as part of the first testimony.
Unfortunately, the ugliness of the Sandusky scandal won’t end there.
A NBC news report issued this morning citing legal sources said more charges could be coming for former Penn State president Graham Spanier. According to the report, investigators have “major new evidence” against Spanier and his involvement in the Sandusky scandal, including emails exchanged in 2001 by Spanier and former university official Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley.
The emails exchanged between Schultz and Spanier (pictured, left) reportedly show that the two decided it would be “humane” to Sandusky to not involve legal authorities. Whether the emails were related to the allegations of sexual abuse by Victim 2, which later were determined to have happened (again, allegedly) in 2001 and not 2002 as former assistant coach Mike McQueary initially testified, is unclear.
In response, Penn State spokesman David La Torre issued the following statement Monday:
“In the course of former FBI Director Louis Freeh’s independent investigation, e-mails were discovered and immediately turned over to the State Attorney General. In deference to the legal process, the University cannot comment further on specifics of the ongoing legal case as it unfolds. We continue to work with the State Attorney General, the US Attorney and Judge Freeh in their investigations into this matter. We will continue to cooperate fully with all legal processes to determine what happened and ensure personal accountability.”
In the immediate aftermath of the Sandusky revelations last fall, Schultz retired and Curley was placed on administrative leave. Both are facing separate perjury charges. Spanier, along with former coach Joe Paterno, was fired later by the school’s board.