Suspected cop-killer Frein held without bail; D.A. to seek death penalty

HAWLEY, Pa. (MCT) — Eric Frein, the captured suspected cop-killer who for six weeks was the target of a Poconos manhunt involving more than 1,000 law enforcement officers, on Friday was ordered held without bail on murder charges.

Frein, his hair slicked back and sporting a goatee and bruises on the cheeks and eyes, answered politely as Pike County District Judge Shannon Muir asked if he understood the charges against him and the purpose of the arraignment in the packed, one-room 19th Century courthouse.

Afterward, he was led out by state police from the front steps and marched to the rear of the building through a waiting crowd of about 150, some of them shouting jeers, such as “you’re a coward,” and “rot in hell.”

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12.

Frein surrendered Thursday after being discovered in an open field near an abandoned airplane hangar, officials said.

At a late-night news conference, Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin said Frein would be charged with murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, and possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Tonkin said he would seek the death penalty.

U.S. marshals spotted a man they thought was Frein at Birchwood Pocono Air Park in Tannersville, Pa., State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. The marshals ordered him to get on the ground, and he acknowledged he was Frein and surrendered without incident, Noonan said.

Edward Hanko, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia division, said no shots were fired and no one was hurt during the arrest.

Officials at the news conference, from county, state, and federal agencies, appeared relaxed and upbeat. More than 50 journalists from around the region and outside were in attendance.