Jerry and Dottie Sandusky blame the victims, including their adopted son
Jerry and Dottie Sandusky have revealed their true feelings and where the blame should be placed in Jerry’s sexual abuse case – on the backs of those victims abused by Mr. Sandusky and their parents.
Jerry Sandusky mugshot
The Sanduskys blame the young men, including their adopted son Matt, labeling them as liars and ungrateful.
“My trust in people, systems and fairness has diminished,” he said. “In my heart I know I did not do these disgusting acts. However, I didn’t tell the jury. Our son changed our plans when he switched sides.”
In letters to the judge who would sentence the former coach, the Sanduskys portrayed themselves as virtuous victims of a vast conspiracy. They blamed powerful, image-conscious forces at Penn State University, lying cops, ambitious prosecutors and a scandal-hungry news media.
The couple’s letters were mentioned in court on Tuesday but not read aloud. Judge John Cleland and the Centre County courts made them public, and CNN obtained copies.
In them, Jerry Sandusky expressed little sympathy for the 10 boys he was convicted of molesting. As he wrote about their families, he tried to shift the blame, pointing out that the boys came from unstable homes.
“Nobody mentioned the impact of abandonment, neglect, abuse, insecurity and conflicting messages that the biological parents might have had in this,” he wrote. He said nothing about the damaged lives and institutions his molestation case left in its wake.
Both Sanduskys wrote that the justice system let them down and these letters to the judge all but guaranteed a maximum punishment, legal observers say.
“Sentencing is a time to ask for mercy, not to attack others,” said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who teaches legal ethics at Loyola Law School. “In my experience, judges really hate letters that try to shift the blame to others or which belittle the victims or the court.”
