Victim 1 in Penn State case has book deal

A key witness against convicted child molester and former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, known in court papers as Victim 1, has a book deal and will soon reveal his identity, a publisher announced yesterday.

Ballantine Bantam Dell said that "Silent No More: Victim #1's Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky," is coming out Oct. 23.

The memoir will be co-written by the victim's mother and psychologist and "will share how he survived years of shame and secrecy, harassment and accusation, before reporting Sandusky's actions to the authorities, and will offer a hopeful and inspiring message for victims of abuse," Ballantine announced.

The witness will reveal his identity on the day of the book's release in an interview with ABC's Chris Cuomo.

Financial terms for the book were not disclosed. Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., plans a donation to a charity for victims of child abuse.

The witness, now 18, first alerted authorities in 2008 and helped start the investigation that led to Sandusky's conviction in June on 45 counts of child sexual abuse. Prosecutors said some of the assaults on the victim, who was in his early teens, took place on the Penn State campus.

Sandusky is scheduled to be sentenced next month and is likely to receive a sentence that will keep him in prison for life.-- AP