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Despite his repeated efforts to delay it, Jerry Sandusky's child molestation trial was set to begin with the start of jury selection, as prosecutors and his defense lawyers choose 12 people from the area around Penn State to decide his guilt or innocence.
Sandusky's lawyer said the 68-year-old, who gained fame as defensive coordinator for the university's vaunted football team, where he won two national championships, would be in the courtroom Tuesday for the start of a trial that is expected to last several weeks.
Opening statements are likely to be made Monday, but first the jurors have to be chosen, a process that could pose a monumental challenge in a region thick with Penn State alumni, employees and football fans.
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Related Coverage: Accusers' credibility possible Sandusky strategy A simple question could be the key to the case against Jerry Sandusky: Will the young men who contend the former Penn State assistant football coach sexually abused them be viewed as credible witnesses WHO's WHO?: The cast of characters as Penn State trial starts The main players in the Penn State scandal: |
Sandusky is charged with 52 criminal counts for alleged abuse of 10 boys over 15 years, allegations he has repeatedly denied.
Among the expected witnesses are several young men who contend they were abused by Sandusky. Prosecutors have claimed that Sandusky groomed boys he met through a charity he founded for at-risk youth, then attacked them, in some cases in his own home or inside university athletic facilities.
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CAN THEY SEAT A JURY IN A TOWN FILLED WITH PENN STATE SUPPORTERS?
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