Sandusky's Adopted Son Says He Was Also Abused

UPDATE: One of Jerry Sandusky's six adopted sons came forward Thursday to publicly accuse the former Penn State coach of sexual abuse, something he said he had been prepared to take the stand to detail.

Matt Sandusky, 33, leveled the latest accusation against his adopted father in a statement released by his lawyers shortly after the jury that will decide Sandusky's fate began deliberations on the 48 counts of child sex abuse the ex-coach currently faces.

Here's part of the statement (via ABC News):

"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse. At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators. ... This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt... There will be no further comment at this time."

The Sandusky jury is being sequestered, so they should have no knowledge of what everyone is safely calling a bombshell allegation against Sandusky.

The Associated Press with more on Matt Sandusky's background:

Matt Sandusky went to live with Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, as a foster child and was adopted by them as an adult.

Shortly after the former coach’s arrest in November, Matt Sandusky’s ex-wife went to court to keep her former father-in-law away from their three young children. Jill Jones successfully obtained a restraining order forbidding the children from sleeping over at their grandparents’ home.

At around the same time, details emerged that Matt Sandusky had attempted suicide just four months after first going to live with the couple in 1995. He had come into the home through The Second Mile charity, which Jerry Sandusky founded, and was first a foster child before being legally adopted.

Thursday, June 21: Make that 48 charges.

The judge presiding over Jerry Sandusky's trial dismissed three more charges against the former Penn State football coach on Thursday, ruling that there wasn't enough evidence to support two of them.

The Associated Press with the details: "Judge John Cleland found one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and one count of aggravated indecent assault involving the accuser known as Victim 4 weren't supported by the evidence. Another charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse involving another boy was dismissed because Cleland said it duplicated another count."

Sandusky had originally been charged with 52 counts of child sex abuse. A fourth charge was dismissed earlier in the trial after the judge ruled that the statute Sandusky was charged under did not exist at the time of the alleged incident.

Both sides are giving their closing arguments to the jury Thursday, after which deliberations will begin.

Wednesday, June 20: Well, that was quick.

Jerry Sandusky's legal team wrapped up its defense shortly before noon on Wednesday. The big news: The former Penn State football coach waived his right to take the stand to defend himself against the 51 counts of child sex abuse that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life, the Associated Press reports.

The defense had previously suggested that it was considering allowing Sandusky to testify on his own behalf, a somewhat unorthodox and risky move that would have opened him up to cross examination by the prosecution. But ultimately, despite Sandusky's apparent willingness to testify, his attorneys rested the case without calling on him to do so.

The defense spent Wednesday morning attempting to take apart the testimony of former assistant coach Mike McQueary—who testified last week about seeing Sandusky apparently raping a young boy in a Penn State shower room in 2001—questioning a friend of McQueary's on the account he heard at the time. They also questioned character witnesses, including Sandusky’s wife, who unilaterally backed up the coach’s reputation and integrity.

Sandusky’s team also repeated one of its major arguments, that the accusers were financially motivated.

Earlier on Wednesday, David Hilton, who spent five years with Sandusky through his Second Mile charity, testified that investigators interviewed him three times about his relationship with the coach. He reported that he felt investigators were pressuring him to make an accusation, threatening him that he could face a felony charge if he didn’t tell the truth, according to ABC News.

Both the prosecution and the defense will make closing arguments Thursday before the case goes to the jury.