Jurors Will Be Brought in for Poplawski Trial

There will be change of venire in the murder trial of Richard Poplawski of Pittsburgh. Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning has ruled that jurors selected from another county in Pennsylvania will be brought to Allegheny County to hear the trial in which Poplawski is accused of killing 3 Pittsburgh Police officers at his home in Stanton Heights April 4 last year. Manning yesterday conducted a third test of the jury pool yesterday asking a group of 90 people, who had been called for jury duty in other cases, whether they had heard or read about the Poplawski case. All but 5 said they had. Judge Manning asked how many had reached a unalterable opinion and could not be impartial. 52 people said they had made up their minds.
Manning then granted the defense request to bring in a jury from another county because of "pervasive, prejudicial pre-trial publicity."
The state court administrator will draw up a lit of possible counties from where a jury pool could be drawn and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will then decide.
Poplawski is accused of the shooting deaths of Officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo and Stephen Mayhle who were responding to a 9-1-1 domestic violence call at the Poplawski home.
The District Attorney is seeking the death penalty. The trial is not expected to begin until at least late April.