WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - The Latest on jury selection in the trial of a man accused of fatally shooting a state trooper and wounding another in an ambush-style shooting outside their barracks (all times local):
3:45 p.m.
A prosecutor says he’s looking forward to picking a “fair and impartial jury” and seeking justice in the trial of a man charged with ambushing two troopers outside a Pennsylvania State Police barracks, killing one.
Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin spoke Thursday after the first day of jury selection in the capital murder trial of 33-year-old Eric Freen (freen), who’s charged with fatally shooting Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass in 2014. He led police on a 48-day manhunt after the ambush.
Authorities say Frein has expressed anti-government views and was trying to spark a revolution when he opened fire on the Blooming Grove state police barracks.
Frein’s attorney, Michael Weinstein, says the defense is looking for open-minded and compassionate jurors to decide Frein’s fate.
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1:15 p.m.
An attorney for a man accused of killing a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and injuring a second in a 2014 ambush at their barracks says he’s confident his client will get a fair trial.
Michael Weinstein spoke Thursday on the first day of jury selection for Eric Frein (freen), who faces a potential death sentence if he’s convicted of killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass.
More than two-thirds of the potential jurors summoned Thursday told the judge they’ve heard about the case. More than a third said they would be unable to impose the death penalty on moral or religious grounds.
Weinstein says there are “a lot of people with issues and we’ll deal with them as we go. I think we’ll get a fair trial.”
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11:45 a.m.
Potential jurors are being questioned in the capital murder trial of a survivalist accused in the 2014 ambush death of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper.
More than 100 people have been summoned to a courtroom in Chester County as lawyers begin selecting a jury to hear the case against 33-year-old Eric Frein (freen).
An outside jury is being picked because of blanket news coverage in northeastern Pennsylvania, where the sniper attack took place. Frein is charged with opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass.
More than two-thirds of the potential jurors say they’ve heard about the case. More than a third said they would be unable to impose the death penalty on moral or religious grounds.
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9 a.m.
About 1,200 people have received jury summons in the capital murder trial of an anti-government sharpshooter charged with killing a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and critically wounding another in a 2014 ambush at their barracks.
Thirty-three-year-old Eric Frein (freen) could face the death penalty if he’s convicted in the attack that killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and injured Trooper Alex Douglass.
Frein led police on a 48-day manhunt before his capture.
Court staff say more than 100 potential jurors will be at the courthouse when jury selection begins Thursday in Chester County, outside Philadelphia. An outside jury is being picked due to blanket news coverage in northeastern Pennsylvania, where the ambush occurred.
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1 a.m.
Jury selection is about to get underway in the capital murder trial of an anti-government sharpshooter charged with killing a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and critically wounding another in a 2014 ambush at their barracks.
Thirty-three-year-old Eric Frein (freen) could face the death penalty if he’s convicted in the attack that killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and injured Trooper Alex Douglass.
Frein led police on a 48-day manhunt before his capture.
Jury selection begins Thursday in Chester County, outside of Philadelphia. An outside jury is being picked due to blanket news coverage in northeastern Pennsylvania, where the ambush happened.
Prosecutors say Frein spoke of wanting to start a revolution in a letter to his parents and called Dickson’s slaying an “assassination” in a police interview after his arrest.
Frein has pleaded not guilty.
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