More jurors selected for homicide trial
WASHINGTON – A total of six jurors have been seated so far in the Ira Swearingen homicide trial for defendant Gregory Modery, 31, of McMurray. The second half of the impaneled jury pool will begin the interview process today before Judge Katherine B. Emery as the selection process continues.
Three women were selected for the jury Tuesday in proceedings that went until 5:45 p.m. Three more women were selected Wednesday through an interview process that also ran into the evening. The individual voir dire, or questioning to determine if someone can serve as an unbiased juror, ended shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday.
A total of 90 potential jurors were called to appear for jury selection for the homicide trial in addition to the 90 jurors called as part of the regular jury pool for the September trial term. The two groups of potential jurors are kept separate from one another.
The potential jurors for the Swearingen case will be briefed this morning about the case in which Gregory Modery is accused of homicide, aggravated assault, kidnapping, robbery, tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit each of those acts. A co-defendant who faced the same charges, Alexander Martos, 34, with previous addresses in Bentleyville and Monongahela, has pleaded guilty and faces life in prison without parole. Two other men, Robert Petrick of Somerset Township and John Sebastian Shaker of Las Vegas, face all of the same charges except for the homicide charge. They are both on the list of about 60 potential prosecution witnesses in the Modery trial.
Swearingen, a medical consultant from Ohio, was on his way to Uniontown to assist with joint replacement surgery when he disappeared Dec. 12, 1999. His rental vehicle was found burned in Greene County a few days later and Martos and Modery were arrested after using Swearingen’s bankcard to obtain money. They were charged with homicide six months later, even though Swearingen’s body wasn’t found until the winter of 2000 when it was located by hunters in a remote area of Greene County.
A total of 12 jurors and two alternates will be selected. Opening arguments are expected to be heard on Monday, Sept. 9.