Jury in Frein case to be selected in March

MILFORD — Jury selection in the capital case of alleged Trooper-killer Eric Frein will begin in March, according to an Oct. 21 ruling by Pike County Judge Gregory H. Chelak.
The trial is likely to start the following month.
An earlier ruling keeps the trial in Pike County, but the jury will be drawn from Chester County, near Philadelphia.
Defense attorney Michael E. Weinstein of Milford had requested a change of venue because of the high emotion and volume of press reports regarding the case locally. The judge refused the request while agreeing to jury selection from outside the county.
Frein was missing during a month-long manhunt in the woods of Pike and Monroe counties after a September 2014 ambush outside the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Blooming Grove. The sniper-style shooting left State Trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson dead and seriously wounded Trooper Alex Douglass.
The group questioning in the jury selection process will be held on Thursday, March 9, and Friday, March 10. The individual jury selection will start Monday, March 13, at the Chester County Courthouse in Chester, Pa.
Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin is seeking the death penalty for first-degree murder, murder of a law-enforcement officer, and terrorism, among other charges. He has said having Frein tried in Pike County will allow local residents to see justice done in a case that has affected many residents.
The jury is expected to be sequestered for the duration of the trial, once it starts.
By Anya Tikka