Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE

BELLEFONTE, Pa. – Jerry Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The 68-year-old former Penn State defensive coordinator was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison on Tuesday. Judge John Cleland delivered the sentence here in a packed courtroom of the Centre County Courthouse. Sandusky was found guilty in June of 45 counts of sexually molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period.

The maximum sentence was 442 years. Sandusky has currently served 112 days.

“You will serve not less than 30 and no more than 60 years in prison,” Cleland told Sandusky. “That has the unmitigated impact of saying ‘the rest of your life in prison.’ ”

Sandusky spoke for about 15 minutes in court and remained as defiant about his conviction as he did Monday when he released an audio statement that lashed out at the victims and their families. He again promised to appeal his conviction.

“They can make me out to be a monster,” Sandusky said in court. “They can treat me as a monster. But they can’t take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged and disgusting acts.”

Sandusky’s defense team believes he’ll end up in a minimum-security prison because of his age and lack of a violent history. While Sandusky has been in isolation at the Centre County Detention Center, he has expressed an interest in serving out his prison time among the general population.

Prison officials will consider what risk Sandusky – a convicted sexual predator – would be under if left alone among the other inmates, even at one of the less-violent facilities. Read more