Westmoreland DA to impanel grand jury to investigate unsolved cases

A grand jury will investigate unsolved crimes in Westmoreland County for the first time in more than three decades, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said Tuesday.

“This is a substantial step and invaluable resource for our criminal justice system. We want to take a closer look, specifically, at unsolved cases involving homicides and major crimes,” Ziccarelli said.

Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani approved the formation of the grand jury in September. That court order was made public Tuesday.

The grand jury will be able to compel witnesses to produce evidence and testify under oath in ongoing and future investigations that are unlikely to be solved using normal techniques, Ziccarelli said.

Unsolved homicides will be one focus of the grand jury.

Ziccarelli wouldn’t name specific cases the grand jury will probe.

The Tribune-Review reported last year there were a dozen unsolved homicides since 1979 that were under investigation. Three of those cases have since been solved and charges were brought against defendants in the past year.

“It is a priority for my office to make every effort to bring a resolution to unsolved cases,” Ziccarelli said. “An investigating grand jury is another resource we can use to assist law enforcement in making progress in cases that involve major crimes. Our hope is that new revelations could be made resulting in finding answers for victims’ families and holding someone accountable for a crime they committed.”

Ziccarelli said at least 23 residents will be seated on the grand jury, which will hear cases over an 18-month period starting in early 2024. The grand jury will not determine guilt but will recommend whether the district attorney should file criminal charges in specific cases.

Grand juries haven’t been used much in the county.

The last grand jury seated in the county was in the late 1980s, when prosecutors investigated alleged wrongdoing within the North Huntingdon police department. The district attorney’s office eventually brought charges, recommended by the grand jury, against the township’s police chief, police officers and the sitting district judge in connection with what prosecutors claimed was a ticket-fixing scandal.

Former Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck served as the county’s top prosecutor for a quarter century. He said grand juries can be a useful tool in difficult investigations. Peck never impaneled a grand jury while district attorney.

“It’s helpful to have a grand jury if witnesses are not cooperating during an investigation,” Peck said. “In the time I was there, there were not situations with any homicides where we had witnesses not cooperating. We were always able to collect the information we needed through surveillance video, search warrants and talking to witnesses — all the usual investigative techniques.”

Saint Vincent College law professor Bruce Antkowiak said it is rare for county district attorneys to impanel grand juries but said the process can provide an investigatory boost to prosecutors.

Grand juries operate in secrecy and allow for prosecutors to call witnesses to testify under oath. They offer prosecutors the ability to obtain evidence they may not be able to gather using standard investigatory techniques, Antkowiak said.

“It’s a powerful tool and one county prosecutors can certainly use,” he said. “It’s not usual because it involves a serious commitment of resources. It’s a resources-consuming enterprise to do this.

“But it’s one of those things that looks really good when you crack open a big case.”