Defense to Begin in Jerry Sandusky's Child Sex Abuse Trial - East Idaho News
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Defense to Begin in Jerry Sandusky’s Child Sex Abuse Trial

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Getty 060512 JerrySandusky?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1340022079044Patrick Smith/Getty Images(BELLEFONTE, Pa.) — The defense is expected to start its case Monday in the child sex abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.  

The 68-year-old is charged with 52 counts of sexual abuse against 10 boys over a 15-year span and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

Last week, jurors in the Belleftone, Pa., courtroom heard gripping testimony from eight alleged victims, and on Monday, the defense will begin to try to prove that the accusers embellished their stories and were motivated by money.  It’s a task that Sandusky’s attorneys have called “daunting” and have compared to “climbing Mt. Everest.”

The defense may claim Sandusky has histrionic personality disorder, a condition that requires excessive attention-seeking, though psychiatrists say that condition has never been linked to child sex abuse.

Sandusky himself may also take the stand this week.

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