Dauphin County Jury to Hear Poplawski Trial

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has decided that a jury will be selected from Dauphin County to hear the trial of a Pittsburgh man accused of killing three city police officers last April 4. Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning granted a defense request earlier this month for an outside jury due to what the judge called "pervasive, prejudicial pre-trial publicity." However, Manning rejected moving the trial to another location. 23 year old Richard Poplawski is accused of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of officers Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo who were responding to a 9-1-1 domestic dispute call at his mother's Stanton Heights home. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty. The jury will be sequestered during the trial and the penalty phase if Poplawksi is convicted.