Judge has 2 days to rule on Seman motions before jurors report for death penalty trial

YOUNGSTOWN

Judge Maureen Sweeney has several pending motions to ponder less than 48 hours before jurors report to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for orientation in the capital murder case of Robert Seman.

In a hearing Wednesday, attorneys for both sides discussed a defense motion to continue the trial set with jury selection to begin Monday.

Also before her are motions on witnesses and testimony about a rape Seman is alleged to have committed before the murders of Corrine Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, in an arson March 30, 2015 at their Powers Way home the day Seman was to go on trial for raping the girl. Seman, 47, of Green, was free on bond at the time.

He faces 10 counts of aggravated murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Defense attorneys asked for the case to be continued because prosecutors plan to use testimony based on a video Gump made to investigators about the rape.

Read more about the case in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.