ID's Murder Under the Friday Night Lights: Where is Jerry Sandusky now?
ID's Murder Under the Friday Night Lights revolved around the Penn State child s*x abuse scandal and the crimes of Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, who s*xually assaulted minors for years before his actions finally came to light.
The public first became aware of Sandusky's heinous crimes over a decade ago. At Sandusky's June 2012 trial, eight men testified that he s*xually abused them as minors. Prosecutors later produced evidence pertaining to ten victims, which resulted in Sandusky's conviction on 45 out of 48 charges of child s*xual abuse.
Jerry Sandusky was given a 30 to 60-year prison sentence and is reportedly serving time at the State Correctional Institute at Laurel Highlands in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
The latest episode of Murder Under the Friday Night Lights, titled When Rules Don't Apply, aired on December 28, 2022, at 10 pm ET. The synopsis for the episode read:
"As coach Joe Paterno turns Penn State into a football powerhouse, a serial r*pist from the team's ranks preys on multiple co-eds; when the justice system fails to put an end to his attacks, many wonder if Paterno's football machine protected him."
Jerry Sandusky's crimes came to light only after a high school student filed s*xual assault charges against him
Born on January 26, 1944, in Washington, Pennsylvania, Jerry Sandusky attended Washington High School and excelled in sports as a defensive end for the Penn State team Rip Engle from 1963 to 1965. Later, in 1966, married Dorothy "Dottie" while working as a graduate assistant under Joe Paterno at Penn State.
After retiring, Sandusky focussed on The Second Mile, a children's charity that he founded in 1977 at State College, Pennsylvania. He received multiple honors for his work with foster children, including a letter from President George H. W. Bush in 1990 and the Angels in Adoption award from then-U.S. Senator Rick Santorum in 2002.
The dubious crimes of Pennsylvania's "beloved" coach, Jerry Sandusky, came to light and attracted attention on a national level after a Central Mountain High School student filed charges of s*xual assault against him.
When the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office initiated an inquiry in 2008, it quickly became evident that between 1994 and 2009, Jerry had intentionally assaulted vulnerable minors, allegedly targeting susceptible boys. In November 2011, he was indicted on 40 counts of s*x offenses against children.
According to court records, Mike McQueary, a former graduate assistant at Penn State, witnessed him s*xually assaulting a young boy in the locker room showers at the Lasch Building in 2002, but never reported it to authorities.
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky s*xually assaulted multiple minor boys, including one of his foster kids
Jerry Sandusky was arrested on November 5, 2011, and charged with seven counts of involuntary deviant s*xual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault, and multiple other offenses. The following day, Penn State barred him from the campus.
Sandusky was again arrested for the second time on December 7, 2011, and was later charged with 12 further charges of s*xual assault against children. He was released after he paid the $250,000 bond and was put under supervised home detention as he awaited his trial.
During his 2012 trial, the prosecution called eight witnesses who were victimized by him throughout the years. It was alleged that he molested all of his victims, whom he met through his charity house. Matt Sandusky, one of his six foster kids, also claimed to be Sandusky's victim.
Jerry was found guilty by a jury on ten charges of endangering the welfare of children and eight counts of involuntary aberrant s*xual contact. He was also found guilty on seven counts of indecent assault and one count of criminal intent to commit indecent assault.
He was sentenced to 60 years in prison and has to serve at least 30 years before being eligible for parole.
Officially declared a s*xually violent predator in Pennsylvania, Jerry Sandusky was initially sent to Greene State Prison in Franklin Township, but was moved to SCI Somerset in March 2017 and is currently serving time at the State Correctional Institute at Laurel Highlands near Pittsburgh.
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights airs on ID this Wednesday, December 28.
Quick Links
Upasya Bhowal