A jury has been selected to hear the capital case against two men accused in the 2016 mass shooting at a Wilkinsburg cookout.
Attorneys agreed upon a 12th juror about noon Thursday, the ninth day of jury selection in the case. The primary jurors are six men and six women. They also selected the first of four alternates who will sit through the trial and hear testimony in case a juror has to be excused for some reason.
The trial against Cheron Shelton, 32, and Robert Thomas, 31, is set to begin Feb. 3. Both men face five counts of homicide, one count of homicide of an unborn child and a dozen other charges related to the March 9, 2016, shooting on Franklin Avenue.
The 12th juror selected works in the medical field and has two children. She called herself a “fact-based person.”
The first alternate selected is a woman who works in patient services. She repeatedly said that she would keep an open mind.
Attorneys still need to choose three more alternates to hear the case.
Five prospective jurors were excused, and four were stricken for cause, meaning they expressed a belief or opinion that would keep them from being impartial jurors. One woman said she’d always find a police officer more credible than other witnesses. Another said she could not abide by the idea of innocent until proven guilty and referred to the defendants as “guilty as heck.”
Both sides used peremptory challenges: the defense struck an airline pilot who said he hadn’t heard about the case. Prosecutors struck a man who works in a home improvement store and another man who works in social services.
Peremptory challenges allow either side to disqualify a juror without stating a reason.
Prosecuting the case are Deputy District Attorney Kevin Chernosky and Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini. Shelton, 32, is represented by Wendy Williams and Randall McKinney, and Thomas, 31, is represented by Casey White and Michael Machen.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
