Jury selection started yesterday in the capital case of Allen Wade, accused of killing sisters Sarah and Susan Wolfe in East Liberty, but the process is proving to be a tedious affair that could last several weeks.

As of today, a single juror had been selected.

With Wade sitting in handcuffs, defense attorney Lisa Middleman and prosecutors Bill Petulla and Rob Schupansky have been questioning potential jurors individually in a fifth-floor courtroom, haggling over every detail and sometimes summoning the judge, Ed Borkowski, to settle disputes.

One fellow was dismissed today because he’d read about the murders in a regional newspaper and felt the story made Wade sound guilty. Others have been stricken because they said they would give police officer testimony more credibility than that of other witnesses or, in the case of one University of Pittsburgh researcher, because the trial would disrupt his work.

Some court officials estimate jury selection could take two weeks or more, with Ms. Middleman complaining this morning that it might take a month if the two sides don't streamline the process and start getting along.

Wade, 44, the next-door neighbor of the Wolfe sisters, is accused of shooting them on Feb. 7, 2014.

First Published: March 30, 2016, 6:19 p.m.