Jury selection has begun in the sex abuse case against Penn State University's former football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky. The trial could begin as early as next Monday, according to reporters on the scene.
A guide to this post:
Catch up on the case
Live tweets
Catch up with video
Catch up:
The scandal, believed to have originated from Sandusky's "Second Mile" charity program, involves sexual abuse allegations from underage boys who took part in the the program.
The alleged crimes span a period of 15 years and reports of the scandal quickly tarnished the school's longtime coach, Joe "JoePa" Paterno, who resigned after it was found that he knew about the allegations and kept quiet. Paterno died January 22. Read more about the entire cast of characters here.
Sandusky, 68, faces 52 criminal counts for alleged abuse of 10 boys. Charges against him include involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault of a young child, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children, according to the Associated Press. Sandusky has denied the charges.
Penn State released a statement Tuesday about the trial: "We are hopeful.. that the case proceeds quickly and provides answers we are all seeking. We are further hopeful that the legal process will start to bring closure to the alleged victims and families whose lives have been irrevocably impacted and that they can begin the healing process."
Live tweets from reporters at the scene
Video
Sarah Ganim, a reporter for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg who won a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of Sandusky, has created this video catch-up of the Penn State scandal:
