Another juror selected to hear the 2016 Wilkinsburg mass shooting case was excused Friday, the second to be let go before jury selection has even ended.
The man chosen Wednesday as juror No. 10 was excused by Judge Edward J. Borkowski. The man, an architect, was excused because of “work circumstances,” the judge said.
Cheron Shelton, 32, and Robert Thomas, 31, both face five counts of homicide, one count of homicide of an unborn child and other charges related to the March 9, 2016, shooting on Franklin Avenue. They could face the death penalty if convicted.
The architect’s excusal put the total number of jurors back at 12, with the first alternate chosen Thursday sliding in to fill out the primary jurors.
The jury is made up of seven women and five men. An alternate selected late Friday afternoon is a man who works in state government. Three more alternates are needed before the selection process is complete.
A woman selected during the first week of the selection process was excused Tuesday for unknown reasons.
Several prospective jurors were stricken Friday because of their intense feelings on the death penalty. One woman, a nurse, said the idea of imposing capital punishment was a “foreign concept” because her job has always been to save lives.
Jury selection began Jan. 6 and has been contentious at times, with more than one heated exchange between defense attorneys and prosecutors.
Prosecuting the case are Deputy District Attorney Kevin Chernosky and Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini. Shelton is represented by Wendy Williams and Randall McKinney. Thomas is represented by Casey White and Michael Machen.
The trial is set to begin Feb. 3 and is expected to last up to three weeks.
Killed in the 2016 gunfire were siblings Jerry Shelton, 35, Brittany Powell, 27, and Chanetta Powell, 25; their cousin, Tina Shelton, 37; family friend Shada Mahone, 26; and Chanetta Powell’s unborn son, Demetrius. None of the slain Sheltons is related to the defendant.
