Hunt on for impartial jurors in Chesco for accused Pa. trooper-killer and target of historic manhunt
Did you follow news of the hunt for the man accused of a deadly shooting at a state police barracks in 2014? Are you opposed to the death penalty for moral or religious reasons? Do you personally know the alleged shooter or the victims?
Those were among the questions a judge asked 104 potential jurors in Chester County as jury selection began in the trial of Eric Frein. Thursday marked the first of several days over which lawyers will find 12 jurors and six alternates to spend several weeks in Pike County for the death penalty trial.
Frein, 33, is charged with first-degree murder, terrorism, and other crimes for the ambush at the barracks in Blooming Grove in September 2014. He eluded capture in the Poconos for 48 days after the killing of Cpl. Bryon Dickson and the wounding of another trooper, affecting the lives of residents and attracting local and national media attention.
Frein, dressed in a suit and wearing glasses, sat quietly with his lawyers and showed little expression as the proceedings began. When introduced by the judge, he stood to face the group of potential jurors. His parents were also in the courtroom, quietly observing from a back row.
Chester County was selected by the state Supreme Court after Frein's lawyers successfully sought an out-of-town juror pool.
Yet most of the 104 residents summoned to court Thursday had heard about Frein: 71 said they watched TV news coverage of the case, 44 said they read online news articles, and 23 said they read about the case in the newspaper.
Having prior knowledge of the case will not automatically disqualify jurors. They can be selected if they tell the judge they are able to set aside their knowledge and opinions.
Of the 104 potential jurors present, more than 35 indicated Thursday that their moral or religious opposition to the death penalty would prevent them from being able to deliver a death sentence.
Indicating opposition to the death penalty also is not enough to dismiss jurors from the case. Lawyers said they would ask further questions about jurors' positions when they return for individual questioning.
"We're looking for fairness, we're looking for jurors who will keep an open mind, [and] compassion," one of Frein's lawyers, Michael Weinstein, told reporters outside the courthouse Thursday.
Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin said he was simply looking for jurors who can be fair and impartial.
"It went smoothly, and we're glad that the process has started," he said.
Judge Gregory H. Chelak spent more than an hour instructing jurors and asking preliminary yes-or-no questions Thursday morning, asking them to stand and raise their juror number in the air if they were responding "yes" to a question.
In addition to the dozens of jurors who knew about the case or were opposed to the death penalty, one juror indicated that she knew Dickson personally. That juror was among nine who were dismissed by the end of Thursday's proceedings. The others were told they might be instructed to return next week for individual questioning.
The trial is expected to last four to five weeks, Chelak told jurors. If Frein is found guilty, the penalty phase to determine whether he would be sentenced to death or life without parole would last an additional one to two weeks. The jurors would be sequestered in Pike County for the duration of the trial, and would only be permitted to return home to Chester County on weekends.
Court staff in Chester County said they had summoned 300 jurors to appear Thursday, and 300 more to appear Friday. From those jurors, some will be instructed to appear early next week for individual questioning.
"It's clearly going to be a hardship, and they're going to have to adjust to it," Weinstein said of the weeks-long commitment for jurors. "It's everybody's duty to sit on juries."