A jury of five men and seven women, along with four alternates, was chosen Wednesday in the trial of Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach charged with child rape.

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.

Sandusky, 68, has been under house arrest since being charged with sexually abusing 10 boys for at least 15 years. Prosecutors say he met some of his accusers through Second Mile, a charity he created for underprivileged children. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Letters written by Sandusky to one of his alleged victims, identified only as Victim 4, can be described as love letters, a source familiar with the case said Wednesday. One letter describes love between a man and a boy, the source said.

The letters are expected to be entered into evidence during the trial, two sources with knowledge of the case said.

However, the letters, as first reported by ABC News, may be given a different interpretation by the defense. They are expected to argue that the letters and notes that Sandusky sent are benign and illustrate his love for the children he has helped over the years through Second Mile, according to a source familiar with the case who asked not to be named.

Victim 4's attorney, Ben Andreozzi, said Tuesday that he expects that letters from Sandusky to his client will be introduced at the trial, but he declined to comment on their content.

Gifts that Sandusky allegedly gave to Victim 4, who is now 28, may also be introduced as evidence by prosecutors, according to a source close to the case. Those gifts could include golf clubs and football jerseys, a source said.

A source close to another alleged victim, Victim 1, said that Victim 1 received birthday cards and notes from Sandusky but that they were not sexually explicit in nature.

They included statements such as "I love you" but did not contain anything overtly sexual, that source said.

Joe Amendola, Sandusky's attorney, asked Judge John Cleland for a continuance Wednesday, saying Andreozzi violated the court's gag order. Cleland denied the request.

Before a gag order was imposed in April by the judge, a source close to the case told CNN's Jason Carroll the defense would argue the letters in question were not inappropriate.

The source said Sandusky wrote letters of encouragement over the years to dozens of young people. Some were football players, or Second Mile participants, or other young people he tried to encourage to be better students.

The source said these letters were not intended to bribe or to encourage anything sexual from the recipients.

The source also said Sandusky would give gifts to encourage these boys to stay on track with their grades, attending class or taking part in charity functions.

Amendola told CNN's Carroll in November 2011 that his client "cared about a lot of kids."

"And there are hundreds of other kids who Jerry took to events and to whom he provided gifts," Amendola said. "What we're saying is, that was Jerry."

Opening statements are expected to begin Monday, Cleland said, and the trial is likely to last about three weeks.

The prospective jurors were quizzed Tuesday and Wednesday about their relationships with Penn State, local law enforcement and Second Mile, and whether they had contributed to any of those entities. Several reported knowing Sandusky or his wife, and others said they had volunteered at Second Mile.

The seated jury includes five members with children: three women and two men. Some jury members said their jobs require them by law to report suspected sexual abuse cases.