The victims in these cases are dealing with so much and exhibited bravery testifying against Jerry Sandusky and Msgr. Lynn.. Victim number 1 in the Sandusky trial recounts cutting off contact with Sandusky:
“I kind of thought he sees me as family and this is just what his family does,” he testified.
“I didn’t know what to say,” testified the man. “I was embarrassed and confused and didn’t know what to do. My mom felt I was doing stuff she couldn’t do with me, she enjoyed the fact that I had a role model. I couldn’t just say no.”
He testified that after he broke off contact with Sandusky, the former coach came to his home and yelled at him for not spending more time with him. He told the court that the argument got heated and that eventually hid behind a bush to avoid Sandusky.
“I got extremely, extremely scared,” testified the man. “With all the connections he had if he really thought I would say what happened that he could hurt me or someone close to me.”
And the victims who testified about the priests Msgr. Lynn helped to shuffle through the archdiocese to help them escape discovery:
During the 10-week trial, more than a dozen adults testified about wrenching abuse they said they suffered at the hands of revered priests.
A former seminarian said he was raped by a priest throughout high school at the priest’s mountain house.
A nun testified that she and two female relatives were sexually abused by a priest described by a church official as “one of the sickest people I ever knew.”
source: Philadelphia monsignor convicted of child endangerment in abuse trial | PennLive.com.
Being on a jury is hard, being on a jury for criminal trials can be especially hard. That being said: I’m proud of the the two separate Pennsyvlania juries and Prosecutors who were on the two high profile cases involving cover-ups of child molestation by revered institution.
William Lynn, a catholic official in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia convicted of child endangerment in Philadelphia
The 12-member jury acquitted Monsignor Lynn, of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, of conspiracy and a second count of endangerment after a trial that prosecutors and victims rights groups called a turning point in the abuse scandals that have shaken the Catholic Church.
The single guilty verdict was widely seen as a victory for the district attorney’s office, which has been investigating the archdiocese aggressively since 2002, and it was hailed by victim advocates who have argued for years that senior church officials should be held accountable for concealing evidence and transferring predatory priests to unwary parishes.
source: Msgr. William Lynn of Philadelphia Is Convicted of Allowing Abuse – NYTimes.com.
These prosecutors did no nonsense work and did what no one was able to do for a long time: convict a catholic official involved in covering up for child molesters. Former Philly DA Lynne Abraham worked hard on these cases and this verdict shows current Philly DA Seth Williams and his office diligently finished the job.
Here is DA Williams statement after the trial:
Later Friday, Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State Defensive Coordinator was convicted.
After a three-week trial featuring emotional and often graphic testimony from eight of the former Penn State assistant football coach’s victims, a 12-person jury late Friday night convicted him on 45 of 48 counts. There were convictions related to all 10 victims alleged by prosecutors, with the three not-guilty verdicts applying to three individuals.
[…]He should be sentenced in about 90 days, according to Cleland. If he gets more than two years, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections will determine the prison where Sandusky will serve his time.
source: Painful chapter closes with Sandusky’s conviction for child sex abuse – CNN.com.
Hats off to Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly for getting Sandusky “thrown under the jail”. They economically built their case, and helped the victims become a part of the justice served through testimony. In addition, two more victims may be able to have their grievances against Sandusky heard.
Here’s Attorney General Kelly’s interview with ESPN on the Verdict:
Jurors reported for Jury Duty, have volunteered time and are party to accounts of awful details of these crimes and they dutifully came to a verdict.