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Sheriff: Seman has been ‘chronic complainer’ in jail
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
The man accused of killing a 10-year-old girl and her grandparents in a March 2015 arson complained Monday during a pretrial hearing to Judge Maureen Sweeney about his treatment at the Mahoning County jail.
But Sheriff Jerry Greene, who runs the jail, said that special protocols have been devised to ensure that Robert Seman, 47, of West Calla Road in Green, is treated properly.
“Since Mr. Seman has been in our facility, he has been a chronic complainer in our jail,” Greene said. “We continue to work with the court and keep in contact with them to make sure that he is treated properly.”
Seman, who could face the death penalty if convicted of the deaths of 10-year-old Corrine Gump and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, on March 30 in their Powers Way home, did not get specific about the complaints, but he did say that corrections officers tamper with his legal documents and do not respond to his formal complaints.
“They don’t ever respond,” Seman told the judge during the hearing in common pleas court.
Greene said each complaint Seman has made has been investigated, and they have all been unfounded.
Seman is to go on trial in September. He is accused of raping the girl and was on house arrest after posting $200,000 bond. The fire was started the day jury selection in his case was to begin. His bond was immediately revoked that day because prosecutors told Judge Sweeney that Seman’s ex-wife told police Seman had offered her money if she would tell prosecutors during the trial the girl made up the allegations.
Seman would face life in prison if he is convicted of just the rapes. Those charges still are pending.
An additional two counts of bribery were added as well, and the aggravated murder and other charges were issued June 11, after lab reports from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation found the fire at the Schmidts’ home was an arson.
He faces 10 counts of aggravated murder, aggravated arson and aggravated burglary. Seman is eligible for the death penalty because, among other factors, he is charged with killing the witness to a crime, and with killing someone in the commission of another felony, in this case the aggravated burglary or aggravated arson.
Seman made his comments to the judge at the end of his hearing, when the judge asked him about his treatment at the jail and how he is getting along with his attorney. Such questions from a judge to a defendant are typical in a death-penalty case to deal with appeals issues, so a defendant cannot argue his or her concerns are never addressed and also so there is a record of them.
Seman said his mail and legal papers are being tampered with, but Greene said there is a special procedure just to handle Seman’s mail. The handbook given to inmates said incoming mail is examined before being given to inmates, but outgoing mail is not censored.