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Thread: Richard Andrew Poplawski - Pennsylvania Death Row

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    Richard Andrew Poplawski - Pennsylvania Death Row




    Richard Poplawski


    Pennsylvania police shooting

    A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said.

    Three officers were killed, said a police official at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Police spokeswoman Diane Richard would only say that at least five officers were wounded, but wouldn't give any other details.

    Three police officers died and at least two other officers were wounded in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh after they respond to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday. The alleged shooter is in custody. Here, an officer comforts a woman during the standoff.

    The man who fired at the officers was arrested after a several-hour standoff. One witness reported hearing hundreds of shots.

    The shootings occurred just two weeks after four police officers March 21 in Oakland, Calif., in the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001.

    Police did not immediately release the gunman's identity, but his friends at the scene described him as a young man who thought the Obama administration would ban guns.

    One friend, Edward Perkovic, said the gunman feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon." Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said he feared that President Obama was going to take away his rights, though he said he "wasn't violently against Obama."

    Perkovic, a 22-year-old who said he was the gunman's best friend, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you."

    Perkovic said: "I heard gunshots and he hung up. ... He sounded like he was in pain, like he got shot."

    Vire, 23, said the gunman once had an Internet talk show but that it wasn't successful. Vire said his friend had an AK-47 rifle and several powerful handguns, including a .357 Magnum.

    The officers were called to the home in the Stanton Heights neighborhood at about 7 a.m., Richard said.

    Tom Moffitt, 51, a city firefighter who lives two blocks away, said he heard about the shooting on his scanner and came to the scene, where he heard "hundreds, just hundreds of shots. And not just once — several times."

    Rob Gift, 45, who lives a block away, said he heard rapid gunfire as he was letting his dog out.

    He said the neighborhood of well-kept single-family houses and manicured lawns is home to many police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other city workers.

    "It's just a very quiet neighborhood," Gift said.

    http://news.aol.com/article/pennsylvania-police-shooting/414264?icid=main

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    Richard Poplawski fired several shots into the body of a wounded Pittsburgh police officer during a siege Saturday that left three officers dead and a fourth wounded, a neighbor told police.

    The neighbor was awakened by gunfire shortly after 7 a.m. and rushed to a window. An officer, later identified as Stephen J. Mayhle, was sprawled on the ground near the stoop of 1016 Fairfield St. in Stanton Heights.

    The neighbor told police a man standing in the doorway "fired 2-3 more shots into the downed officer, then re-entered the residence," according to a criminal complaint.

    Mr. Poplawski, 22, is charged with killing Officer Mayhle, 29, and Officers Eric Kelly, 41, and Paul J. Sciullo II, 37, who were responding to a 911 call placed by Margaret Poplawski, the suspect's mother. He also is charged with multiple counts of attempted homicide as a result of a lengthy gun battle with other police officers. Another officer, Brian Jones, broke a leg while scaling a fence behind the house.

    Mr. Poplawski, who told friends that he was afraid the government was going to take his guns and that police could not protect citizens during the economic downturn, was arraigned at 2 a.m. Sunday in his hospital bed at UPMC Presbyterian. His preliminary hearing is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday in City Court.

    A spokesman for the Allegheny County district attorney's office would not speculate on whether Mr. Poplawski might face the death penalty on the charges against him.

    "It's inappropriate to even talk about this case at this point," said Mike Manko.

    The criminal complaint gives this version of the siege:

    Mrs. Poplawski called 911 at 7:03 a.m., saying she wanted her son out of the house "because he was giving her a hard time." She said she had awakened and confronted him after discovering that a dog had urinated on the floor, and the two had argued.

    Officers Mayhle and Sciullo arrived at 7:11. Mrs. Poplawski opened the door "and admitted them, saying, 'come and take his ass.' Mrs. Poplawski reported that as the officers entered approximately 10 feet into the residence, she heard gunshots, turned and saw her son about six feet away with a rifle in his hands, at which point she fled after screaming, "What the hell have you done?"

    Officer Timothy McManaway arrived at 7:17, one minute after a radio call that officers were under fire. He saw Officer Kelly, who was off duty but had driven to the scene to back up the other officers, wounded and supine in the street beside his sport-utility vehicle.

    As he tried to assist Officer Kelly, who said he was unable to breathe, more gunfire erupted and Officer McManaway returned fire toward the house. He was hit on the hand by a bullet or shrapnel.

    Officer McManaway pulled Officer Kelly to cover behind the SUV, where they awaited rescue by a SWAT unit.

    "Officer McManaway reported that he was able to see the one officer lying outside the residence near the front stoop, and it was clear that he was dead, having been shot in the head. He could not see the second officer, who was later found inside," the report said.

    Paramedics took Officer Kelly to UPMC Presbyterian, where he died. An autopsy by the medical examiner later found he died of gunshot wounds to the trunk and lower extremities.

    Back on Fairfield Street, a three-hour standoff ensued, punctuated by gunfire. Mr. Poplawski fired numerous shots that hit a bulletproof SWAT vehicle occupied by eight officers.

    Shots fired by Mr. Poplawski also hit homes at 1021 and 1025 Fairfield, both of them occupied at the time, police said.

    A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said he watched through his window as a police sniper perched on the front stoop of his home at Fairfield and Antoinette streets fired a shot that clearly struck Mr. Poplawski.

    The same man later found bullet holes in his Toyota Camry, which had been parked on the street.

    Police who tried to get to where Officers Mayhle and Sciullo lay wounded were turned back several times by gunfire from the house, said Don Sand, an Allegheny County 911 administrative shift commander who lives down the street.

    "It was terrible to watch the officers lying there because no one could get down there. It was heart-wrenching to see," he said.

    "It was just a constant barrage," said Kathleen Gilkey, whose Downlook Street house is directly behind Mr. Poplawski's and was a staging area for SWAT personnel.

    Police eventually persuaded Mr. Poplawski, who was wounded in the leg, to surrender. They found Officer Sciullo's body in the living room.

    He and Officer Mayhle were pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsies determined that Officer Sciullo died of gunshot wounds to the head and trunk; Officer Mayhle died from a gunshot wound to the head.

    Police said Mr. Poplawski wore a bulletproof vest during the siege. They found several firearms in the house, including an AK-47 assault-style rifle.

    Mrs. Poplawski told police her son, after being kicked out of Marine Corps boot camp for assaulting his drill sergeant during basic training, had been "stockpiling guns and ammunition, buying and selling the weapons online, because he believed that as a result of the economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society."

    Reached yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Poplawski declined comment on the police report.

    Earlier yesterday, she called David Shribman, executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, to complain about the newspaper's coverage of the shootings and threaten a lawsuit.

    She demanded that the newspaper stop publishing information about her and her son, saying the reporting thus far was not factual and should be limited to the officers and their grieving families.

    "You're going to have the biggest lawsuit in the history of the city of Pittsburgh," she later told a reporter.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09096/960913-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml

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    Emotionless Poplawski waives case to trial

    Richard Poplawski walked into the small courtroom quickly and quietly yesterday, a sheriff's deputy holding his arm.

    A scraggly beard and red pimples covered his boyish face. His thick brown hair was slicked back. He wore a red prison jumpsuit, and his hands and legs were shackled.

    As he stood before District Judge Kevin E. Cooper in the Municipal Courts Building, Downtown, Mr. Poplawski showed no emotion.

    "I need you to make sure you understand you're waiving your right to a preliminary hearing," Judge Cooper told the 22-year-old man, who is accused of shooting and killing three Pittsburgh police officers.

    "Do you understand the severity of those charges?"

    "Yes, sir," Mr. Poplawski replied.

    It was his first appearance in public since April 4, the day of a lengthy shootout with police in Stanton Heights and the deaths of Officers Paul J. Sciullo II, Stephen J. Mayhle and Eric G. Kelly.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09106/963225-53.stm]

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    Judge orders outside jury to hear Poplawski case

    Jurors will be chosen from another county and brought into Pittsburgh to hear the death penalty case against accused cop-killer Richard Poplawski.

    Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning decided today -- after another test of prospective jurors -- that to find a large enough sample of people able to hear the case objectively, he will have to go outside Western Pennsylvania.

    "In light of the pervasive prejudicial pre-trial publicity, the court has no choice but to grant the defendant's motion," Judge Manning said.

    Mr. Poplawski's defense lawyers had asked the judge to either move the entire trial to a different county, or to bring jurors in from elsewhere. Judge Manning said he would not move the case because it would cause undue hardship and expense.

    The state Supreme Court will decide from which county the jurors will come. Once they are selected, the panel will be sequestered until the end of the trial and sentencing phase if Mr. Poplawski is convicted of first-degree murder. The district attorney is seeking the death penalty.

    Judge Manning was prepared to set a trial date this morning, but defense attorney Lisa Middleman said she wasn't ready to set a date because she hasn't decided whether to use Mr. Poplawski's mental state as part of his defense. The judge set March 22 for a pretrial conference, at which time a trial date will be chosen.

    Mr. Poplawski is accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers on April 4.

    The officers arrived at his Fairfield Street home for a domestic violence call when, prosecutors say, Mr. Poplawski shot at them. There was a three-hour standoff before he was taken into custody.

    Killed in the incident were Officers Paul J. Sciullo II, Stephen J. Mayhle and Eric G. Kelly.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10020/1029657-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml

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    Poplawski trial in cop shootings set for Oct. 12

    The death penalty trial against the man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers a year ago in Stanton Heights is scheduled for Oct. 12.

    Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning set jury selection in the case of Richard A. Poplawski to begin three weeks earlier -- on Sept. 20. The jury for the case will be selected in Dauphin County because of extensive pretrial publicity in the Pittsburgh region. The jury will be sequestered throughout the trial.

    Also during today's brief hearing, Judge Manning told the prosecution and defense that they are required to have co-counsel on the case in the event an attorney becomes indisposed during the trial to avoid any delays.

    Assistant Public Defender Lisa Middleman, who represents Mr. Poplawski, said she did not believe that the October trial date gave her ample time to prepare her case.

    "I think it is grossly unfair to require the defense to basically do a hurry-up and prepare defense in this case," she said.

    Judge Manning told Ms. Middleman that when she was appointed to represent Mr. Poplawski that his was expected to be her only case.

    "I'm not going to argue this any further," the judge said. "You now have six months to prepare this case. That should be more than ample time."

    Mr. Poplawski is charged with dozens of counts stemming from a domestic dispute at his Fairfield Street home on April 4. His mother called the police on him the morning of April 4, and the prosecution says, Mr. Poplawski opened fire on officers immediately upon their entry to the home.

    Killed in the incident were Officers Eric G. Kelly, Paul J. Sciullo II and Stephen J. Mayhle.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10096/1048282-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml

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    Defense Seeks Delay In Pittsburgh Police Slayings

    PITTSBURGH -- Defense attorneys for a man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers want to delay his trial because they've yet to find an expert to testify why the suspect shouldn't face the death penalty.

    Richard Poplawski, 23, is accused of gunning down officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo II and Stephen Mayhle during a standoff on April 4, 2009, in the city’s Stanton Heights neighborhood. The officers were responding to a domestic violence call when Poplawski opened fire on them, police said.

    Assistant public defender Lisa Middleman wants the Oct. 12 trial date pushed back so her co-counsel, Richard Narvin, will have more time to prepare for the death penalty phase of Poplawski's trial. Narvin said he was involved in another death penalty case in March and hasn't had time to prepare.

    Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning did not immediately rule on Thursday's motion.

    Earlier this year, Manning denied Middleman’s request to postpone the trial. He also gave Middleman until July 1 to decide whether to pursue a mental health defense.

    Manning previously ordered jury selection for Poplawski to begin Sept. 20 near Harrisburg in Dauphin County because of intense local publicity surrounding the shootings.

    http://www.wpxi.com/news/23553102/detail.html

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    Poplawski's lawyers scolded by judge for seeking trial delay

    An Allegheny County judge yesterday chided an accused cop killer's lawyers for seeking a delay in the start of trial this fall.

    "I'm very upset," Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning told lawyers for Richard Poplawski while asking them why did not earlier find an expert to testify against putting their client to death for the killings of three Pittsburgh police officers last year.

    "This isn't rocket science," the judge said. "You subpoena records from any school or hospital he's ever been in."

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and Poplawski's attorneys said there is inadequate time to prepare before the scheduled Oct. 12 start. Manning did not rule on the delay request and scheduled another hearing June 28.

    Poplawski, 23, is accused of killing the officers April 4, 2009, when they responded to a domestic dispute at his Stanton Heights home.

    Defense attorney Lisa Middleman said a specialist she wants to employ to explain why Poplawski shouldn't be executed cannot begin working on the case until September. Such specialists typically review the background of a person facing the death penalty to help defend that person at trial.

    "We've taken steps to be prepared, but it's going to take time," Middleman said.

    She filed a written request for a delay earlier this month claiming that fellow attorney Richard Narvin, who would represent Poplawski in the penalty phase if he's convicted of first-degree murder, typically would secure a specialist but had not yet done so.

    Narvin said he was busy working on another death penalty trial and didn't expect Manning to set a fall trial date for Poplawski. He said a delay in the case is necessary.

    Yesterday was the latest in a string of pretrial appearances for Poplawski. He appeared unshaven and wearing a white T-shirt and red jail pants. He said little except to answer Manning's questions that he again agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial.

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_682753.html

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    Accused Police Shooter Wants To Fire Attorney; Trial Delayed

    PITTSBURGH -- The judge in the death penalty case of a man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers has agreed to delay the start of the trial by six months.

    Richard Poplawski is charged with homicide, accused of shooting and killing Paul Sciullo, Stephen Mayhle and Eric Kelly when the officers responded to a domestic call at his mother's Stanton Heights home in April 2009.

    Poplawski, 23, is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Allegheny County Jail.

    On Monday, Judge Jeffrey Manning presided over a hearing regarding a defense request to delay the start of the trial.

    Assistant public defender Lisa Middleman wants the Oct. 12 trial date pushed back because an expert isn't available until September to review Poplawski's school, medical and other records for possible evidence to oppose the death penalty should he be convicted.

    Channel 4 Action News' Bob Mayo reported that in a letter to the judge, Poplawski asked to fire one of his attorneys, Richard Narvin.

    Manning had previously warned the defense attorneys he doesn't want to delay the trial because jurors are being bused in from the Harrisburg area.

    Previously Manning ruled jury selection will begin Sept. 20 and that the jurors will be chosen from Dauphin County instead of Allegheny because of extensive local pre-trial media coverage of Poplawski's case.

    The trial is now scheduled to begin April 25.

    http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/24068060/detail.html

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    Poplawski gets new lawyer

    An Allegheny County judge today appointed a new attorney to represent the man accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers last year.

    J. Richard Narvin, who was to represent Richard Poplawski in the death penalty phase of his trial, has now been removed from the case.

    Judge Jeffrey Manning rearranged Mr. Poplawski's representation, moving Assistant Public Defender Lisa Middleman, who was to handle the guilt phase of the trial, to the penalty phase, and appointed attorney James E. DePasquale to handle the guilt phase.

    Mr. Poplawski is accused of killing Officers Eric G. Kelly, Paul J. Sciullo II and Stephen J. Mayhle on April 4, 2009, at his mother's home in Stanton Heights.

    The trial is scheduled to be heard by a jury from Dauphin County in April.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10244/1084242-100.stm?cmpid=neighborhoods.xml

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    Judge: Finding Lawyer For Accused Cop Killer 'No Easy Task'

    PITTSBURGH -- A judge has appointed a new attorney to represent a man in the death penalty phase of his trial on charges of killing three Pittsburgh police officers more than a year ago.

    Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning appointed William Brennan to fill that position at a pretrial hearing Monday. Earlier this year, the judge appointed James DePasquale to head the defense team for Richard Poplawski.

    Assistant Public Defender Lisa Middleman had been the lead attorney, but Poplawski apparently couldn't get along with her. The judge warned Poplawski that he cannot play attorney "roulette" and won't get a new lawyer again.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Poplawski, who is accused of killing Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo and Stephen Mayhle in Stanton Heights during a domestic disturbance call in April 2009.

    The judge told Poplawski that, "Finding you a lawyer was no easy task. Quite a number of lawyers did not want to represent you. Others were not death penalty qualified."

    Jury selection was initially scheduled for Sept. 20. It will now take place April 11. The trial is set to begin April 21. The judge said that no more continuances will be granted under any circumstances.

    Because of pre-trial publicity, the jury will be picked from a pool from Dauphin County. The jurors will be brought to Pittsburgh.

    During Monday's hearing, prosecutors revealed that they are attempting to obtain audio tapes of an incoming telephone call from Bank of America to Poplawski during the shootings.

    According to prosecutors, a teller called Poplawski about a debt. Prosecutors said Poplawski answered the call and told the teller, "I'm in the middle of a shootout with police. You're out of luck."

    http://www.wpxi.com/news/25081518/detail.html

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