First step in jury selection begins in Seman case

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The first step in the jury selection process in the capital murder case of Robert Seman is underway.

Attorneys on both sides of the case in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court will begin perusing names of jurors drawn up who may serve on the case to determine if any should be disqualified before jurors are expected to report Feb. 3.

Judge Maureen Sweeney is hearing the case.

Seman, 47, can face the death penalty if convicted of the March 30, 2015, deaths of Corinne Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, during an arson at their Powers Way home just hours before Seman was to go on trial on a charge he raped the girl. Seman was free on bond at the time of the fire.

Jurors reported for orientation in September but the jury-selection process was halted after just a day because of inappropriate conversations between prospective jurors. For the new jury pool, Judge Sweeney is implementing several measures to ensure any interaction among jurors is limited. Judge Sweeney told Seman Wednesday that she hopes the process will work and assure that jury misconduct will not take place.

Some of those measures include splitting jurors into smaller groups who can be watched by an individual deputy and bringing in jurors on a Friday, when the courthouse is less busy to minimize distractions. A very brief hearing took place Wednesday. Attorneys on both sides said they had no issues to bring before the judge.