Defense asks judge to protect house in Seman homicide case

YOUNGSTOWN — Lawyers for the man who could face the death penalty if convicted of setting a fire that killed a girl he is accused of raping and her grandparents, asked a judge today to bar destruction of the home where the fire broke out.

The defense team for Robert Seman, 46, of West Calla Road in Green Township, filed its motion in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court asking that the 3631 Powers Way home be spared any demolition. This is so defense experts can conduct their own tests to see if the cause of the March 30 fire that killed 10-year-old Corinne Gump and her grandparents William and Judith Schmidt was arson.

Seman, who was to go on trial for raping the girl just hours after the fire broke out and was free on electronically monitored house arrest, faces 10 counts of aggravated murder, as well as counts of aggravated arson and aggravated burglary and he could face the death penalty if convicted of the aggravated-murder charges.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com