(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Graham Spanier trial will continue Friday with jury deliberations continuing. Thursday the panel of seven women and five men jurors deliberated six hours. They asked a judge to clarify the legal elements of the conspiracy charge and to define what reckless means. They also asked several other questions of Judge John Boccabella Thursday after about three hours of deliberations.
The judge told them they must take into account the companion charge of endangering the welfare of children when evaluating the conspiracy charge. He said conduct is reckless when someone consciously disregards a substantial and unjustified risk, far beyond what a reasonable person would do. The former president of Penn State, Spanier, is accused of mishandling complaints that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was molesting boys. He’s charged with child endangerment and conspiracy.
A prosecutor said during closing arguments that Spanier gambled with the welfare of children by not reporting a 2001 complaint against Sandusky to state child welfare authorities. The defense attorney Sam Silver said there was no evidence Spanier committed a crime. Spanier was forced out as president in 2011, after Sandusky was arrested. He remains a tenured faculty member.
