Jury to decide fate of man in officer killing
Jury to decide fate of man in officer killing
EASTON, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania jury will soon have to decide if a man who fatally shot a police officer last summer deserves the death penalty.
Attorneys are set to give their closing arguments today in the penalty phase of George Hitcho Jr.’s murder trial.
Hitcho was convicted of first-degree murder last week by a Northampton County jury in the August killing of Freemansburg police Officer Robert Lasso.
The defense presented witnesses on Tuesday including a forensic psychologist who said Hitcho had emotional and cognitive problems as a result of a series of head injuries. Prosecutors called a neighbor as a rebuttal witness who described a threatening run-in with Hitcho in 2008.
Lasso was shot in the head while responding to a disturbance call at Hitcho’s home.