How old is matt sandusky

Back when he was a boy, growing up in Bellefonte, Matthew Heichel said he would numb a miserable childhood by dreaming of Hawaii. In my mind it was somewhere where I could go, and everything would be perfect and beautiful.

He was born Dec. At the time of his arrival into the world, one of America's biggest television shows was Happy Days , which chronicled the blissful life of the Cunningham family and their wacky-yet-loving adventures together. When Matt—who went by "Mattie" was a child—speaks of growing up, the tales are 5 percent warm, 70 percent awful and 25 percent nightmarish and involve accusations of physical abuse by his birth father and maternal grandfather that can't be independently confirmed.

His birth mother and father divorced when Matt was six they later had two other children , and he said the three children lived with their mother in a series of dilapidated homes, including a trailer that lacked running water. Matt said Debra, who grew up in Bellefonte and never attended college, held several low-paying jobs through the years and always struggled to make do. Matt fondly recalls the first day of most months, when Debra collected her allotted food stamps and the children would walk to Bonfatto's, a nearby sandwich shop, and buy hoagies.

That meant Kentucky Fried Chicken. Which was even better. Although he struggles to put a date or age on the time he first chased trouble, Mattie Heichel spent much of his youth finding it. He shoplifted—repeatedly. He dealt drugs—repeatedly. He cheated in school—repeatedly. He smoked lots of pot and drank lots of beer. He was, by his own admission, a bad seed, largely indifferent to the suffering or pain of others.

Then, in while living with his grandparents, Matt attended The Second Mile summer camp for underprivileged children. It was founded 10 years earlier by Jerry Sandusky, Penn State's beloved defensive coordinator. Around State College—and across the nation—The Second Mile was lauded as a textbook example of how to bring hope and love to unwanted children. In , President George H. Bush cited the organization as a "shining example" of what it was to be charitable.

Before long, Matt was all about The Second Mile. He attended Penn State football games, watched Nittany Lions practices from the sidelines and went on road trips with the team. He would have dinners with the Sandusky family and stay the night on occasion for sleepovers. In his autobiography, Touched , Jerry Sandusky admitted to feeling especially attached to the boy and would arrive, unannounced, at Bellefonte Middle School to meet with him.

So much of what I went through with [Sandusky] was good. I'm thankful for those things. Matt, however, struggled to walk the righteous path.

He began skipping school on a regular basis and, for several months, says he lost contact with Jerry Sandusky. On a freezing day in November , he said he and a cousin cut classes to head to an old barn behind a house at Blanchard Street in Bellefonte. It was a place the two frequented—warm, always unlocked, nobody ever around. Because, of course, there's no oxygen in the glove compartment, so the paper would extinguish. The two boys bolted to school, hoping no one would notice their early absence.

According to Matt, police arrived at Debra's home, cuffed him and placed him under arrest. Oddly, he has largely fond memories of his time in lockup—three meals a day, a gym, cable television. Matt was given his own room with a window, and while the plastic cot and sawdust-stuffed pillows weren't of Ritz-Carlton stock, they did him just fine. Then, after roughly one month of incarceration, Matt says Tim Janocko, a former Penn State player and friend of Jerry Sandusky, stopped by, a visit mentioned in Jerry Sandusky's book Touched.

I'd be there until my 18th birthday and then afterward I'd be placed in jail for the crime I committed. Or, if we could work it out, he told me I could live with Jerry as a foster child and be basically free. It turns out Sandusky had, in fact, called the judge directly from the Rose Bowl, with a request for Matt to be released from the facility to come live with him.

At this point, perhaps it should be noted that Matt says the molestation had been going on for seven years. He says it was happening every week and commenced well before the barn burning. It began with simple touching. A hand to the knee. An arm around the shoulder. Awkward hugs. Then, during sleepovers, tuck-ins. Touching beneath blankets. Quick feels.

Longer feels. Even longer feels. Blowing raspberries on his stomach. He says he liked it and hated it. Liked it because it felt good. Hated it because it felt good. Liked it because it felt wrong. Hated it because it felt wrong. Jerry Sandusky, Matt says, was his savior from hell, but also his When you're a kid, he says, you know things are wrong but wonder if they're really wrong. Is an old man's hand brushing against your penis appropriate?

I didn't analyze it as a kid, but in hindsight I can explain it as a balloon blowing up, and I needed to deflate it by letting out air. It was my way of deflating the balloon so I could endure more.

When Matt speaks, the words "Jerry Sandusky" never leave his lips. Not once. Instead, he refers to Sandusky as "my perpetrator," and he does so coldly, sans emotion.

Matt never liked school, but he says many of his absences were to avoid Sandusky's random visits. He recalls sitting in class, being summoned to the guidance counselor's office and seeing Sandusky waiting.

He wouldn't do anything to me there. He was just imposing himself. To be in my head. Before the barn burning, Jerry Sandusky would visit Matt at his house.

Oftentimes, Matt says he would see Sandusky pulling into the driveway, and Matt would instruct his mom to tell Jerry he wasn't there. And then he'd hide behind a bedroom door. Rappleye is a reporter with the Investigative Unit at NBC News, covering immigration, criminal justice and human rights issues. She started this role in December, Connor is responsible for reporting and writing breaking news, features and enterprise stories for NBCNews.

Connor joined NBC News from the New York Daily News, where she was a senior writer covering a broad range of news and supervising the health and immigration beats. Prior to that she was an assistant city editor who oversaw breaking news and the courts and entertainment beats. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Politics Covid U. News World Opinion Business. Broncos from.

Sponsored Honor those who served, and remember why by. Government In response to growing concerns, Philly releases map of asbestos removal projects in schools. Women's Health Drug used to prevent preterm birth may increase cancer risk in offspring, study suggests from. Mental Health For Penn Medicine cancer patients, virtual reality is a game-changer and gateway into mindfulness by. Addiction How to tackle football season sober by.

Real Estate How to save thousands when buying a home in Philly by. Health Insurance How to get a free health insurance quote and enroll in an affordable plan by. Opinion Honor those who served, and remember why by. Real Estate Five essential tips for first-time Philly homebuyers by. Studio with sunrise city views to the east! There are brand new "wood" like floors throughout, as well as great closet space.

Jerry Sandusky singled out the shy little boy, asking him about his family, playing with him in the pool, bringing him up to the front of the room during meetings to share jokes.

Then the coach asked the boy if he wanted to go to a Penn State football game in the fall. It was heady stuff for a poor child from Central Pennsylvania. Jerry Sandusky was grooming him for what would come later, Matt Sandusky said. Matt Sandusky, a child from a dysfunctional family where he was not hugged or kissed, didn't know how to react when Jerry Sandusky took him for car rides and put his hand on his knee leaving it there. It felt wrong, but maybe this was what normal was, the child thought.

Jerry Sandusky gave him Penn State gear, took him to football games. They worked out in the gym, which lead to the man and boy wrestling around on the floor. There were showers, with Jerry Sandusky soaping up the boy, rubbing up against him and becoming sexually aroused.

Eventually there was sex. As he had learned earlier, Matt Sandusky said he kept his mouth shut and told no one what was going on. Matt Sandusky said he was sexually abused by his adopted father. The boy grew into a teenager. He did drugs and drank alcohol to dull the pain of the abuse.

And when that didn't work, Matt Sandusky said he would heat up a metal object to red hot and burn himself seeking an emotional release. Jerry Sandusky stalked him at school, where a guidance counselor would pull him out of class to meet alone in an office with his abuser.