In less than a month, Richard Poplawski will know whether he is responsible for killing three Pittsburgh police officers in a Stanton Heights shootout and, if so, whether he should die for the act or spend the rest of his life in prison.
Selection of the jury that will decide his fate in the April 4, 2009, incident begins Tuesday in Dauphin County, with prosecutors seeking jurors open to the death penalty and defense attorneys looking for those who might be willing to show compassion.
The jury will be picked from a pool of 350 in Harrisburg because of extensive pretrial publicity in Allegheny County. Then jurors will be brought to Pittsburgh to begin hearing the case on June 20.
A total of 18 jurors will be selected, although only 16 will make the trip west. The extra two will be used only if one or two of the original 16 people chosen drop out between the time of selection and the day the trial begins.
The jurors will be sequestered for the entirety of the case, which is expected to included extended court hours and weekend sessions. Judge Jeffrey A. Manning hopes the case is concluded by the start of the July 4 holiday weekend.
Neither side is able to discuss the case because of a gag order on all parties, but experts say jury selection, especially for the defense, will be a difficult task.
Mr. Poplawski is accused of killing Officers Eric G. Kelly, Paul J. Sciullo II and Stephen J. Mayhle after they responded to his mother's home for the report of a domestic dispute.
Veteran defense attorney Caroline Roberto said the two biggest hurdles for Mr. Poplawski's lawyers are that there are multiple victims and that the victims are police officers killed in the line of duty.
Arthur Patterson, a jury consultant with DecisionQuest, based in State College, agreed.
"Certainly a case where a police officer is killed -- let alone two or three -- is difficult. There are certain crimes that really offend the community, and this is one," he said.
Prosecutors in a case like Mr. Poplawski's will be seeking jurors who are heavily involved with their community and share a common set of values, Mr. Patterson said.
"The prosecution is looking for [jurors who are] pro-police," he said. "There are a lot of citizens who feel very strongly about protecting law enforcement."
For the defense, Ms. Roberto said she would seek jurors who think independently.
