Jury selection in Allegheny County began Wednesday for the first time since the courts were shut down in March amid the beginning of COVID-19’s outbreak in Pennsylvania.
About 80 potential jurors convened in a large hall of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown for the case against Lamont Wilford, 49, who is accused of homicide in the beating of a man in Harrison last year.
The selection process was viewable by video feed on a flat-screen television in room 318 of the Allegheny County Courthouse, a room typically used for jury selection. Seats were taped off to maintain social distancing, although there were no observers in the room besides four court staff and administration members.
Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce R. Beemer, who was in the convention center with the prospective jurors — first addressed the group just after 9 a.m., although his remarks were mostly unintelligible on the video feed to the courthouse because of the reverberations caused by the large convention hall.
He gave typical remarks and told the potential jurors that they were “being asked to perform a solemn duty,” and described the jury process as “one of the most crucial rights” in the United States. He also mentioned the importance of social distancing multiple times and asked everyone to adhere to mask wearing, some of the mitigation efforts in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Afterwards, the prospective jurors filled out a standard questionnaire including questions such as “Have you ever served as a juror before?” and “Have you or anyone close to you ever been the victim of a crime?” Then they proceeded to a corner of the hall for voir dire, where attorneys sat at a table behind a Plexiglas screen and asked about their backgrounds.
The case against Wilford, of Harrison, began last December when police charged him with one count of homicide and alleged he killed Eric Darnell Henderson, 50, in Harrison last year.
According to a criminal complaint, a witness on the afternoon of Nov. 23 saw two men — identified by police as Wilford and Mr. Henderson — exit a residence on Spruce Street and argue briefly. When the argument concluded, they began to laugh and walked back inside the house.
Less than a half hour later, the two men exited the house and were arguing again, the witness told police. The shorter Wilford then punched the Mr. Henderson, causing the larger man to fall to the ground “lifeless,” the complaint reads.
While Mr. Henderson was on the ground, Wilford punched, jumped on and kneed him multiple times, the complaint says. Wilford told police he “may have pushed” Mr. Henderson, but denied punching or kicking the victim.
The medical examiner’s office ruled Mr. Henderson’s cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and said the manner of death was a homicide.
Attorneys in the case did not immediately respond to request for comment. Thirteen jurors — including one alternate — were selected Wednesday, leaving one more alternate to be picked on Thursday, District Court Administrator Chris Connors said.
A trial date has not been set, but when it is, the trial will be held in the courthouse, which will continue to be location for criminal trials.
Mick Stinelli: mstinelli@post-gazette.com; 412-263-1869; and on Twitter: @MickStinelli
First Published: October 21, 2020, 9:25 p.m.