Recently, a defense filing referred to Victims 11 through 17, suggesting investigators might have identified seven additional accusers for whom Sandusky has not been charged. Whether those people exist, and if they will testify — or if Sandusky will take the stand — are among the questions the trial should answer.
Lawyers for five of the young men have asked Cleland to take steps to protect their anonymity, but the judge has yet to rule. The AP doesn't identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted without their consent.
Their testimony will be all the more critical to prosecutors, because unlike sexual abuse cases, the Sandusky investigation likely did not produce forensic evidence. But the scope and nature of the prosecution's evidence, and its witness list, haven't been disclosed.
One closely watched witness will be Mike McQueary, an assistant coach who was a graduate assistant in 2001 when he said he saw Sandusky naked in the team showers with a boy of about 10 described in the grand jury report as Victim 2. McQueary didn't confront Sandusky but reported the incident to Paterno, who contacted Tim Curley, the athletic director.
Paterno, who was removed as coach the week after Sandusky's arrest, died in January of lung cancer. Curley was later charged, along with university vice president Gary Schultz, with failure to properly report suspected abuse and lying to the investigative grand jury. Both men deny the allegations and await trial.
The trial will focus on the specific criminal charges against Sandusky, so a more complete set of facts may have to wait until the Curley and Schultz case goes to trial, Penn State and others who are investigating release their findings and any civil litigation is resolved. That process could take years to play out.
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