Judge may rule today on moving Seman trial out of Mahoning County

YOUNGSTOWN — Judge Maureen Sweeney may rule as soon as today on a motion by attorneys for Robert Seman to move his death-penalty case out of Mahoning County.

Defense attorneys said that several jurors glared at Seman and defense attorneys during jury orientation in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Friday, some cried and a corrections officer who oversees Seman at the county jail appeared in uniform and said he knows Seman from the jail.

All of those factors will taint the jury pool, defense attorneys said.

Semen could face the death penalty if convicted of the March 30, 2015, arson deaths of Corinne Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt at their Powers Way home on the South Side just hours before Seman was to go on trial for raping the girl.

Seman was free on bond at the time of the fire.

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