Date set in Portage for Seman case

YOUNGSTOWN – Jury orientation in the Robert Seman capital murder trial will begin April 12 in Portage County Common Pleas Court.

The date was settled upon today during a pretrial hearing in the case before Judge Maureen Sweeney in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

The trial of Seman, 48, of Green, is being moved to Portage County after attempts to pick a jury in September and January in Mahoning County were unsuccessful because of pretrial publicity.

Seman 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. Judge Sweeney will be hearing the case when it moves to Portage County.