Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed on six jurors over three days of jury selection for the upcoming trial against suspects in the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting.
Defendants Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas have been active participants in the selection process, each conferring with their respective attorneys before deciding whether to accept or strike a juror.
Shelton, 32, and Thomas, 31, both face five counts of homicide, one count of homicide of an unborn child and myriad other charges related to the March 9, 2016, ambush-style shooting. The District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty for both men.
Deputy District Attorney Kevin Chernosky and Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini are prosecuting the case. Shelton is represented by Wendy Williams and Randall McKinney, and Thomas is represented by Casey White and Michael Machen.
Four potential jurors were interviewed Wednesday afternoon, two of whom were deemed acceptable by all parties.
Both were white women — one older and one younger.
The first, a retired educator, said she is not against the death penalty but appreciates the intense gravity of the situation.
“It’s a big decision and would have to be weighed accordingly,” she said. “It’s a very serious event, but I still think I could render a decision.”
The second juror echoed that sentiment.
“The death penalty deserves intense, intense, intense scrutiny, thought and discussion,” she said.
The woman, who works in professional development, said she is “pragmatic, not emotional, but that’s hard to do all the time.”
On Tuesday, two men were chosen for the jury. The men’s race and industry in which they work are not clear, as media were barred from the selection process all day and again Wednesday morning.
Attorneys must seat a jury of 12 as well as four alternates.
The trial, which attorneys said will likely last two or three weeks, is set to begin Feb. 3 in front of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski.
Jury selection resumes at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
