The trial of Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach charged with child rape, is now under way.

Sandusky, 68, has been under house arrest since being charged with sexually abusing 10 boys for at least 15 years. Prosecutors allege that he met some of his accusers through Second Mile, a charity he created for underprivileged children. In interviews after his arrest, Sandusky acknowledged showering and "horsing around" with boys but denied being sexually attracted to them. Sandusky faces 52 criminal counts related to child sexual abuse. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A jury of five men and seven women, along with four alternates, was selected last week. Half of the 16 jurors and alternates have ties to Penn State, including one retired professor and one current professor, three graduates, two employees and one current student, showing the prominence of the university in the local community.

Many Sandusky jurors have Penn State ties 

Here's a look at some the key players, pertinent facts about the case and how it all unraveled:

Who is Jerry Sandusky?

Birth date:  January 26, 1944

Birth place: Washington, Pennsylvania

Birth name:    Gerald Arthur Sandusky

Marriage: Dorothy "Dottie" (Gross) Sandusky (1966 – present)

Children:  (all adopted) E.J. (male), Kara, Jon, Jeff, Ray, Matt, Sandusky also fostered several children.

HLN: A closer look at Jerry Sandusky's family

Occupation:   Retired assistant football coach at Penn State for 32 years, including 23 years as defensive coordinator.

The Second Mile

Founded in 1977 in State College, Pennsylvania, by Jerry Sandusky.

Initially began as a group foster home for troubled boys but grew into a non-profit organization that "helps young people to achieve their potential as individuals and community members." Annually provides services to more than 100,000 children from all counties in Pennsylvania.

A grand jury report says Sandusky molested young boys after developing close relationships with them through The Second Mile. David Woodle, acting CEO of the organization, said the group was "sorrowful and horrified" and is concerned most about the alleged victims and their families.

Major players

Tim Curley – Former Penn State athletic director; charged with one count of felony perjury and one count of failure to report abuse allegations.

Mike McQueary – Penn State receivers coach who allegedly witnessed the rape of a young boy by Jerry Sandusky in a Penn State locker room in 2002; placed on administrative leave.

Jerry Sandusky – Founder of The Second Mile and retired Penn State assistant football coach; accused of sexually abusing young boys he met through the non-profit organization over a period of at least 15 years.

Gary Schultz – Former vice president for finance and business at Penn State; charged with one count of felony perjury and one count of failure to report abuse allegations.

Graham Spanier – Former president of Penn State.

The documents

Read the criminal complaint against Sandusky (PDF)

Read the grand jury findings in the case (PDF) [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT]

Read the  second grand jury presentment against Sandusky (PDF)

Read the civil complaint lawsuit filed against Sandusky (PDF)

Read the transcript of hearing in case against Curley, Schultz (PDF) [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT]

Timeline of specific stories of abuse, accusations

1994 – 1997 – Sandusky allegedly engages in inappropriate conduct with three different boys he met separately through The Second Mile program. One boy was 7 or 8, another was 10, and the third was 12 or 13 at the time.

1998 – Penn State police and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare investigate an incident in which the mother of an 11-year-old boy reports that Sandusky had showered with her son.

June 1, 1998  – Sandusky is interviewed and admits showering naked with the boy, saying it was wrong and promising not to do it again. The district attorney advises investigators that no charges will be filed and the university police chief instructs that the case be closed.

2000 – Sandusky allegedly showers with a young boy and tries to touch his genitals during overnight stays at the coach's home, according to the now 24-year-old man's testimony.

2000 – James Calhoun, a janitor at Penn State, tells his supervisor and another janitor that he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in the Lasch Building showers. No one reports the incident to university officials or law enforcement.

March 2, 2002 – Graduate assistant Mike McQueary tells Coach Joe Paterno that on March 1, 2002, he witnessed the rape of a 10-year-old boy by Jerry Sandusky in the LaschBuilding showers at Penn State.

March 3, 2002 – Paterno reports the incident to Athletic Director Tim Curley. Later, McQueary meets with Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz.McQueary testifies that he told Curley and Schultz that he saw Sandusky and the boy engaged in anal sex, Curley and Schultz testify they were not told of such an allegation. Instead, Curley said he had the impression the conduct amounted to "horsing around." Schultz said he couldn't remember details. Sandusky's locker room keys are confiscated and the incident is reported to The Second Mile, but no law enforcement investigation is launched.

2005 or 2006 – Sandusky allegedly befriends another Second Mile participant whose allegations would form the foundation of the multi-year grand jury investigation.

2006 or 2007 – Sandusky allegedly begins to spend more time with the boy, taking him to sporting events and giving him gifts. During this period Sandusky allegedly performs oral sex on the boy more than 20 times, and the boy performs oral sex on him once.

2008 – The boy breaks off contact with Sandusky. Later, his mother calls the high school to report her son had been sexually assaulted and the principal bars Sandusky from campus and reports the incident to police. The ensuing investigation reveals 118 calls from Sandusky's home and cell phone numbers to the boy's home.

How the case against Sandusky unfolded

1998 – Psychologist Alycia Chambers tells Penn State police that Jerry Sandusky acted the way a pedophile might, in her assessment of a case in which the mother of a young boy reported that Sandusky had showered with her son and may have had inappropriate contact with him. A second psychologist, John Seasock, reported he found no indication of child abuse.

November 4, 2011 – The grand jury report is released.

November 5, 2011 – Jerry Sandusky is arraigned on 40 criminal counts. He is released on $100,000 bail. Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz are each charged with one count of felony perjury and one count of failure to report abuse allegations.

November 7, 2011 – Curley and Schultz, who have both stepped down from their positions, are arraigned.

November 11, 2011 – Mike McQueary, a Penn State receivers coach who allegedly witnessed the 2002 rape of a young boy, is placed on indefinite administrative leave.

November 11, 2011 – Students hold a candlelight vigil on the University Park campus for the victims of sexual abuse.

November 13, 2011 – Jack Raykovitz, CEO of The Second Mile, resigns.

November 14, 2011 – In a phone interview with NBC's Bob Costas, Sandusky states that he is "innocent" of the charges and claims that the only thing he did wrong was having "showered with those kids."

November 15, 2011 – The Morning Call (Allentown) reports that in a November 8, 2011, email to a former classmate, Mike McQueary says he did stop the 2002 assault he witnessed and talked with police about it.

November 16, 2011 – Representatives of Penn State's campus police and State College police say they have no record of having received any report from McQueary about his having witnessed an alleged rape of a boy by former coach Jerry Sandusky. November 16, 2011 – A new judge is assigned to the Sandusky case after it is discovered that the Leslie Dutchcot, the  judge who freed Sandusky on $100,000 bail, had volunteered at Sandusky's The Second Mile charity.

November 21, 2011 – It is announced that former FBI Director Louis Freeh will lead an independent inquiry for Penn State University into the school's response to child sex abuse allegations.

November 22, 2011 – The Patriot-News reports that two cases of child sex abuse charges against Sandusky have been opened by Children and Youth Services in Pennsylvania. The cases were reported less than two months ago and are in the initial stages of investigation.

November 22, 2011 – The administrative office of Pennsylvania courts announces that all Centre County common pleas court judges have recused themselves from the Sandusky case. The office said this is to avoid any conflicts of interest due to connections with Sandusky, the Second Mile charity, or Penn State.

November 30, 2011 – The first lawsuit in the scandal is filed on behalf of a person listed in the complaint as "John Doe," who says he was 10 years-old when he met Sandusky through The Second Mile charity. Attorneys say Sandusky sexually abused the alleged victim "over one hundred times" and threatened to harm the victim and his family if he alerted anyone to the alleged abuse.

December 2, 2011 – Attorneys for an alleged sexual abuse victim say they have reached a settlement with The Second Mile that allows it to stay in operation but requires it to obtain court approval before transferring assets or closing. The Second Mile also is required to notify the plaintiff about any proposed distribution of assets.

December 3, 2011 – In an interview with The New York Times, Sandusky says, "If I say, 'No, I'm not attracted to young boys,' that's not the truth. Because I'm attracted to young people - boys, girls - I ..." His lawyer, who was present at the interview, speaks up at that point to note that Sandusky is "not sexually" attracted to them.

December 7, 2011 – Sandusky is arrested on additional child rape charges, which raises the number of alleged victims from eight to 10 people, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. He is charged with four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and two counts of unlawful contact with a minor. He also faces one new count of indecent assault and two counts of endangering a child's welfare, in addition to a single new count of indecent assault and two counts of corruption of minors.

December 8, 2011 – Sandusky is released on $250,000 bail. He will be placed under house arrest and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device. He'll also be restricted from contacting the alleged victims, possible witnesses, and must be supervised during any interactions with minors.

December 13, 2011 – Sandusky enters a plea of not guilty and waives his right to a preliminary hearing.

December 16, 2011 – A hearing is held for Tim Curley and Gary Schultz. Mike McQueary testifies he told university officials that he saw Sandusky possibly sexually assaulting a boy in 2002. Following the testimony, the judge rules that the perjury case against Curley and Schultz will go to trial.

January 13, 2012 – Tim Curley and Gary Schultz enter pleas of not guilty for their failure to report child sex abuse and waive a court appearance scheduled for later this month.

January 27, 2012 – Sandusky files a request to modify the conditions of his bail so he can contact his grandchildren.

January 31, 2012 – Prosecutors file a motion for a change of venire.

February 10, 2012 – At Sandusky's hearing, prosecutors argue that Sandusky should be forbidden to be outside his home, which is close to a school playground, during his house arrest.

February 13, 2012 – Judge John Cleland eases conditions of Sandusky's house arrest; including visits with eight of his grandchildren under parental supervision and visits from adult friends.  Judge Cleland also denies the prosecutions' requests for a change of venire (the jury pool be drawn from outside the area) and that Sandusky refrain from using his deck.

February 13, 2012 – Tim Curley files motions to dismiss his charges of perjury and failing to report suspected abuse.

February 14, 2012 – Gary Schultz petitions to join Tim Curley's motion and also seeks dismissal of his perjury and failure to report charges.

February 14, 2012 – Penn State says that the Jerry Sandusky case has cost the university $3.2 million thus far in combined legal, consultant and public relation fees.

February 23, 2012 – Penn State says that the university has received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania requesting information aboutSandusky and his charity. Sandusky is already being prosecuted by the Pennsylvania state Attorney General's Office over allegations that he sexually abused young boys over a period of 15 years.

March 29, 2012 – Jury selection, scheduled to start May 14, is postponed until June 5.

April 5, 2012 – Sandusky's pre-trial hearing takes place.

April 9, 2012 – Judge John Cleland places a gag order on the case.

May 18, 2012 – Prosecutors amend charges against Sandusky. The number of charges and victims remains the same, but more detail is provided. The additional information includes identifying the various types of sexual activity that Sandusky is accused of having with the young victims, as well as places where the alleged illicit incidents occurred.

May 25, 2012 – The Second Mile requests court approval in Centre County, Pennsylvania, to transfer its programs to Arrow Child & Family Ministries.

June 1, 2012 – The Pennsylvania Superior Court will not hear Sandusky's appeal for trial delay. A lower court had ruled against Sandusky earlier in the week.

June 5, 2012 – Jury selection starts for Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse case.

June 6, 2012 – The jury pool breakdown is seven women, five men and four alternates.