BELLEFONTE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A full jury of seven women and five men has been selected in the child sex abuse trial of former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, setting the stage for proceedings to begin on Monday in the high-profile case.
Sandusky faces 52 counts of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period. He has pleaded not guilty and faces more than 500 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
The sexual abuse charges prompted the firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno and university President Graham Spanier, and put an unprecedented focus on sexual predation in the United States.
Jury selection took place over just two days, far less than many experts had predicted given the close-knit ties of the area's small towns and farms and Penn State's role as the biggest local employer.
Along with the 12 regular jurors, four alternates were selected. The judge has scheduled the trial to begin on Monday.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Sandra Maler)
(This story was written by Reuters correspondent Ian Simpson and was partly based on information provided by a pool reporter in court.)