Jerry Sandusky smiled a lot during the prosecution’s closing statement, perhaps out of nervousness. Now he must wait for twelve of his supposed peers to decide his future residence and how long he’ll be living there.
Meanwhile, I’m watching Twitter, which has been dominated today by links to the just released Sandusky “love letters” to alleged Victim 4. Bleaaachh! The word “creepy” has been used a lot. It is probably as good as any that don’t involve four-letter epithets.
Now, Sandusky’s adopted son Matt has stepped forward, telling the world that he suffered the same type of sexual abuse as “Jer’s” accusers allege. Why he chose this timing to do a 180 when he had previously been on record denying any such contact with his step-dad is a mystery. The jury is sequestered and knows nothing about this turn of events.
However, Matt’s accusation could open up a whole new can of worms, should the current case against Sandusky falter.
Obviously, juries can be fickle, and so, whether the “tickle monster” will be convicted on some or all counts is unpredictable. If he is convicted only on minor counts, he won’t serve much time, if any. Presumably, such a decision or a complete acquittal by the jury could trigger a whole new trial founded on the basis of Matt’s allegations. If we are to believe Matt after his flip-flop, this represents a Plan B, a fallback to put Jerry Gump away for life.
One of the “love letters” mentions how much Jer enjoyed playing “Polish soccer” with the young boy. One Tweeter remarked, “Sandusky mentions ‘polish soccer’ in his letters. What exactly is it? Code for ‘soap soccer’? Maybe poles play a different kind of soccer…”
The jury deliberated until very late last night and picked up again this morning. The only indication of their progress was a request from the jurors for a replay of the Mike McQueary testimony. Attorneys from both sides re-enacted the questioning session, with Chief Deputiy Attorney General Frank Fina playing the role of Paterno’s favorite sideline whipping boy. McQueary, of course, was the only eyewitness to present testimony to them. The jury’s request reveals that a lot hinges on Big Red’s account of the scene he saw and the sounds he heard. Note well, that between the Grand Jury testimony and the trial testimony, McQueary changed his mind about the date the incident occurred by a full year, which might somewhat damage his credibility with the jury.
Real world factors can and do influence juries. The first weekend of summer is nigh, and these people have families to play with. The judge has ordered the jury to deliberate on Saturday and Sunday if necessary. Will the jurors rush to judgment in order to be discharged by the weekend? Will an intransigent juror cave in to demands by his or her colleagues because of a “let’s get this over with” mentality? No one knows yet.
At this moment, the jury has re-entered the courtroom to deal, they say, with a supplemental charge. They had questions about hearsay evidence involving the janitor who is now too mentally incompetent to testify. Recall that the judge had allowed hearsay evidence from one of this janitor’s workmates about the night of the incident.
I don’t know these people of the jury, but I believe that they’ll be diligent in their deliberations, unlike the Casey Anthony and O.J. Simpson juries. I believe that they will convict him on enough of the major charges to remove the scourge of the “tickle monster” from society to a place where he belongs.
Remember the old prison joke that goes like this:
*
O
OK, I’m not going to tell the joke, but suffice to say that the representation above is a before and after picture. I heard it at a safety orientation at ADP Marshall delivered by a site safety director named Winston. Oh, hell, I’ll tell it, as you might never have the opportunity to attend one of Winston’s safety lectures. The top picture is your asshole before you go to prison, while the bottom one is your asshole after you’ve been there for a week. (Sorry, the devil made me do it.)
Waiting for this verdict is surely a gigantic pain in the ass, but this Turkey hopes that once it is rendered, the worst of the bad times for Penn State will have been put behind us. Turkey hope springs eternal.
