Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 counts

BELLEFONTE, PA.

CNN is reporting that a jury here has found former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 counts in his child sexual abuse trial.

He was immediately escorted from the courthouse in handcuffs to a local jail by authorities.

Sentencing, CNN said, will be within 90 days. And given the sentence he faces, he will die in jail, the cable TV news network said.

Earlier this evening Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola said the ex-coach had been doing a lot of praying.

And if Sandusky were to be acquitted of all charges, Amendola said, “I’ll probably die of a heart attack.”

The comments came as Amendola spoke to a small group of reporters in the main courtroom. Amendola was taken out of the courtroom at 5:34 p.m. by a Centre County sheriff’s deputy, who said the judge wanted to see Amendola.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Amendola had violated the gag order that forbids him from discussing the case with the media.

Before Amendola left, he said Sandusky is “very, very happy with the job we have done.”

As for Amendola, he said he’s faced a “daunting, daunting case” of defending Sandusky who went to trial facing 52 counts of child abuse. The number of counts now stands at 48.

“I did the best I could with the circumstances,” he said.

Amendola has been working 18-hour days seven days a week lately, he said.

Amendola said Sandusky was spending time with his family because it could be the last time he sees them as a free man.

Read the complete story in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.