By William Kenny

Times Staff Writer

The trial of the man accused of shooting Police Officer Charles Cassidy to death at an Oak Lane doughnut shop in 2007 is scheduled to begin late this week, mere days after the slain officer's colleagues, family and friends mourned the second anniversary of his loss.

John "Jordan" Lewis, 22, is facing a capital murder charge in the case. District Attorney Lynne Abraham has said she will pursue the death penalty were Lewis to be convicted of first-degree murder.

Lewis allegedly shot Cassidy, a Northeast resident and St. Jerome's Church parishioner, fatally in the head as the officer interrupted an armed robbery at the Dunkin' Donuts on the 6600 block of N. Broad St. on Oct. 31, 2007.

Pre-trial motions in the case were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, with jury selection to have begun yesterday. Opening arguments in the case were expected to begin as early as today at the city's Criminal Justice Center, although a long jury selection process may delay the start of testimony until next week.

Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Selber and Edward Cameron will prosecute the case.

Lewis, formerly of the 800 block of W. Roosevelt Blvd., remains in jail without bail.

Cassidy, a 25-year police veteran assigned to the 35th district, routinely stopped at the doughnut shop while on patrol. Lewis allegedly had robbed the same shop weeks earlier.

Lewis allegedly shot Cassidy in the head as the officer entered the front door of the business. Cassidy did not have an opportunity to return fire. Lewis allegedly stooped to grab Cassidy's gun, then fled. Several employees and patrons were in the shop at the time but were not injured.

Fellow officers rushed Cassidy, a married father of three, to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery. Cassidy died at 9:40 the following morning.

Following the shooting, a relative of Lewis' allegedly drove him to Wilmington, Del., and bought him a bus ticket to Miami, where local police arrested him on Nov. 6.

Staff members at a homeless shelter where Lewis was staying recognized the murder suspect from news media reports and contacted authorities.

Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman for Abraham, said that the court has not announced how long it expects the trial to last. Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart will hear the case in Room 304 of the CJC.

Lewis is also charged with multiple counts of robbery and aggravated assault and multiple weapons offenses.

Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com