Witnesses remember Cpl. Dickson, 'a level of perfection in and out of uniform'

By Marilyn Rosenthal
MILFORD — Testy, emotional exchanges characterized Friday's court proceedings, as the jury considers whether to sentence Eric Matthew Frein to death or life in prison for the murder of a Pennsylvania state trooper and the attempted murder of another.
Defense Attorney Bill Ruzzo objected at least three times but Judge Gregory H. Chelak overruled him each time.
"I hesitated to interrupt what looks like a loving family, but I had to object to because of the length of the Victim Impact Statements and the fact that they were becoming too emotional," he said outside the courtroom.
Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin, in turn, shouted angrily at an expert witness called by the defense who characterized life prisoners as compliant and rules loving. Tonkin told the jury that full justice means the death penalty.
Troopers and their wives and girlfriends filled one entire section of the gallery. They wiped their eyes as witnesses for the prosecution remembered Cpl. Bryon Dickson, who died in the 2014 shooting ambush Frein was convicted of last week. No one from the Frein family attended.
Loving remembrancesDarla Dickson, the mother of Cpl. Dickson, spoke extemporaneously on the stand for more than an hour. She talked lovingly about what a prankster Bryon was, and how hard he worked. When Bryon joined the Marines, she said, "I couldn't find my boy. He had turned into a man."
She recalled a conversation she had with her grandson Bryon III, now 10 years old.
"'Grandma, I hate Eric Frein,'" Darla said, quoting her grandson, to whom she responded, "I do not hate Eric Frein. That does not mean that we don't hold him accountable. We ask for justice and accountability."
Several other witnesses talked about the excellence of Cpl. Dickson's character. Conchetta Uckele, who swallowed pills in a suicide attempt, recalled Dickson's help. John Dougherty, a retired Pennsylvania State Police Major, wrote a letter of commendation. Trooper Derek Felsman, Dickson's best friend, said, "Bryon was a level of perfection in and out of uniform. One word describes him: impeccable — as a husband, a father, and a trooper."
Dickson's older sister, Stacy Hinkley, gave an extensive and emotional statement.
"When Eric Frein place those bullets in the chamber and shot him, he severed the sibling bond," he said. "Brandon (their brother) is lost without Bryon. I miss his laugh, I miss his talent, I just miss him."
Victim Impact Statements are allowed in the penalty phase of a trial to show how the convicted person's crime affected the victim and others in the victim's life.
The morning session ended with a video of Cpl. Dickson graduating from the Police Academy and taking the Trooper Oath.
'A routine that dulls the pain'Defense Attorney Ruzzo's expert witness, Robert Johnson, is a professor of justice, law, and criminology at American University in Washington, D.C. His specialty is life in prison and on death row, and the court recognized him as an expert witness. But D.A. Tonkin challenged his expertise throughout his testimony.
Johnson said prisoners sentenced to life without parole are adapters because they don't want to make trouble in their home, the prison. To save their few privileges, "lifers" who were violent in the outside world are inclined to obey the rules in prison.
"Lifers seek a reliable, safe prison, a busy structured day, and a routine that dulls the pain," Johnson said.
He gave a PowerPoint presentation illustrating his research.
But Tonkin objected. He said he didn't want the jury confusing the expert's findings with facts. Judge Chelak allowed the PowerPoint but instructed the jury not to take the results or sources as fact.
Johnson suggested Tonkin may have held similar beliefs. Tonkin responded angrily.
"You're the witness," Tonkin said. "I'm the one asking the question, so don't impart any beliefs to me."
Tonkin said Frein, while awaiting trial at the Pike County Jail, was charged with indecent behavior for urinating outside.
"Wasn't that a sexual offense?" Tonkin demanded.
Nothing in the record indicates that was the case, Johnson responded.
Tonkin shot back that Frein lied.
Johnson said there were two versions of the story.
Tonkin continued to challenge the witness, growing angrier.
Ruzzo forcefully objected.
"Counsel is shouting at the witness and asking three questions at once," Ruzzo said.
Judge Chelak sustained the objection.