PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat
Posted: Wednesday, September 9, 2015
By David Hurst
dhurst@tribdem.com
Attorneys will likely be able to deliver opening statements Thursday in a Central City priest’s sex abuse trial.
But both sides’ legal teams will begin the day weighing in on which of the 44 jury finalists should be seated in the 12-member jury panel – the final step in this week’s extended jury selection procedure.
Attorneys representing the U.S. Government and the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr., still have a limited number of “strikes” they can use to eliminate individuals viewed as unfavorable to their respective sides. But that process should be completed Thursday morning, U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson told the court.
Jury selection extends into a third day after two days of questioning eliminated 67 of 111 potential jurors for extraordinary hardships or “cause,” such as bias or prejudice toward one side or the other.
Maurizio, 70, is accused of using his Honduran mission to lure street orphans, offering them candy for sex acts.
Prosecutors have described him as a habitual abuser who transferred money across national borders to fund his fetish for young boys.
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