Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was placed on suicide watch yesterday, a day after he was convicted of sexually abusing children, MSNBC is reporting. One of his lawyers, Karl Rominger, confirmed the news, saying his client was under individual guard at the county jail. Sandusky has also been separated from the general prison population.
It wasn’t immediately made clear if Sandusky had in any way threatened his own life, or if the move was standard procedure in such a high-profile case. Rominger said the former defensive coach for the Penn State football team will appeal the verdict. The process may happen when Sandusky is sentenced in approximately 90 days.
Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He faces a minimum sentence of 60 years in prison. After the verdict was read, one of the jurors, Joshua Harper, said the look on the 68-year-old former football coach’s face as the guilty verdicts were being read were confirmation that the jury made the right decision.
Sandusky previously denied the charges, and his lawyers suggested his accusers had a financial motive to make up the allegations. However, Harper said Sandusky showed no real emotion, and accepted the verdict because “he knew it was true.”
Written by: Karen Benardello
