Sandusky’s Victim 1 ‘Extremely Happy’ Over Sandusky’s Conviction

Sandusky's Victim 1 'Extremely Happy' Over Sandusky’s Conviction

Definitely, the jury believed the eight young men who testified against Jerry Sandusky by giving him the 45 guilty verdicts.

But before Sandusky was declared guilty, the biggest fear for the victims and their families was that he would walk away as a free man.

"That was my biggest fear ... that he would not be found guilty," said Victim 1's mother, who spoke exclusively to ABC News over the weekend.

She shared her fears to her son, an 18-year old boy whose testimony helped send the former Penn State football coach to jail for possibly 400 years.

"It was very hard on him," said Victim 1's mother. "Even after therapy, he doesn't feel comfortable saying what happened to him to me. ..."

The boy was the first victim to come forward and accuse Sandusky of sexual abuse, which triggered a grand jury investigation against the former Penn State football coach. Victim 1 testified that Sandusky performed oral sex on him after meeting him through Sandusky's charity, the Second Mile.

The boy described staying in Sandusky's basement bedroom, where a water bed and television were placed away from a pool table. It was there that Sandusky began abusing him, he said.

“What people don't really understand is when we're touched like that as a child ... part of our brain just shuts down and we need mental help and care to connect those brain stems, which were completely burned out," said Peter Pelullo, who runs the foundation, which is counseling two of Sandusky's victims. "We cannot process what's happening to us as a child."

Victim 1's mother says she is relived the trial is over and that because of the guilty verdict, her son will now move on.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Tuesday June 26 2012, 7:42 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0