Seman trial set for April in Portage County

Staff report

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 Wednesday 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 could face the death penalty if convicted of the March 30, 2015, deaths of Corinne Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, in an arson at their Powers Way home the day Seman was to go on trial for raping the girl.

Seman was free on bond at the time before the trial.

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

In September, jury selection was halted and a mistrial was declared after a potential juror was heard by other potential jurors making disparaging remarks about Seman during jury selection.

In January, jury selection was halted after Judge Sweeney upheld a motion by defense attorneys to move the trial because too many jurors had said in their questionnaires that they had already formed an opinion on Seman’s guilt in the case.