Sandusky trial: Victim 4 says the former Penn State coach treated him ‘like his girlfriend’
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives at the Centre County Courthouse on December 13, 2011 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Sandusky was attending a prelininary hearing on charges he sexual abused 10 boys.
The Sandusky trial opened with explosive testimony from one of the former Penn State coach's victims, who said that the 68-year-old sexually abused him and kept him silent with lavish gifts and trips to football games, the Associated Press reported.
Jerry Sandusky, whose trial began Monday, is accused of abusing 10 boys, and faces 52 counts of sexual assault, the AP reported.
The victim who testified is now 28 years old, but detailed graphic incidents that began when he was 13 with "soap battles" in shower locker rooms and went on regularly for several years. He was referred to only as Victim 4, according to ABC News.
More from GlobalPost: Jerry Sandusky: Many jurors have ties to Penn State
"He would put his hand on my leg, basically like I was his girlfriend. … It freaked me out extremely bad," Victim 4 said of his frequent car rides with Sandusky, whom he met through the coach's now-defunct charity the Second Mile. "I pushed it away. … After a little while, it would come right back. That drove me nuts."
Sandusky also reportedly sent the 28-year-old what he described as "creepy love letters," the Associated Press reported.
One shown briefly on a video screen in court read: "I know that I have made my share of mistakes. However I hope that I will be able to say that I cared. There has been love in my heart," according to the AP. It was signed "Jerry."
Victim 4 also said that Jerry's wife Dottie, who was present in court on Monday and is expected to testify during the trial in her husband's defense, walked in on Sandusky having sex with him in a hotel room during a trip to a football game, according to the AP.
More from GlobalPost: Jerry Sandusky trial: Judge refuses to dismiss charges
Prosecutor Joseph McGettigan will have eight of Sandusky's 10 victims testify throughout the trial, which is expected to last several weeks, the New York Times reported, and highlighted the humiliation, shame, and fear surrounding their reliving of the abuse.
Sandusky's defense lawyer Joseph Amendola took 40 minutes to present his case, during which he questioned the victims' motivations for coming forward so late, according to the Times.
“The testimony you are going to get is going to be awful, but that doesn’t mean it’s true,” Amendola said.
More from GlobalPost: The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky's charity, to shut down