Jury selection to head into fifth day for Kendrick's trial in SCI-Somerset sergeant's killing

Yahoo

21-03-2025

SOMERSET, Pa. – Jury selection will head into a fifth day for the capital murder trial of a state prison inmate accused of killing an SCI-Somerset corrections sergeant in 2018.
Another full day of questioning of potential jurors Thursday added one more person to the panel. That brings the number of jurors to 11, one short of the 12 needed for a full panel.
Paul Jawon Kendrick, 29, is charged with homicide in the case, and would face the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder.
Paul Jawon Kendrick
This undated photo provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections shows inmate Paul Jawon Kendrick, accused of fatally assaulting correctional officer Sgt. Mark Baserman on Feb. 15, 2018, at a state prison in Somerset.
Kendrick is accused of fatally beating Sgt. Mark Baserman, 60, who died while hospitalized two weeks after an altercation in an SCI-Somerset 'day room.' Another corrections officer was also injured in the incident.
Cambria County Senior Judge Patrick Kiniry, who is presiding over the case in Somerset County court, has scheduled a full day of selection Friday to complete the panel and allow attorneys to select four alternate jurors, who would step in to help decide the case if one or more jurors isn't able to complete the task.
Court officials have anticipated that the trial, and if necessary a capital penalty phase, could run for two weeks or more once a panel of jurors is seated.
Thursday's questioning wrapped up just before 6 p.m.
Groups of potential jurors have arrived for jury duty daily since Monday, assembling in a courtroom for instruction each morning before entering a jury room one at a time for individual questioning about their feelings on murder, the death penalty and other topics related to the case.
According to Somerset County Court Administrator Tammy Escalera, 42 potential jurors were interviewed or had their questionnaires considered Thursday. Approximately 60 more have not yet been interviewed, and more than half were on deck to appear for jury selection Friday.
Somerset County residents called for jury duty can be ruled out by Kiniry following their interviews if they are deemed unable or unfit to fairly serve.
But prosecutors and defense attorneys each entered jury selection with 20 preemptive 'strikes' at their discretion, which can be used to rule out a potential juror who is deemed less than ideal for their case.
On Thursday, those strikes started adding up, with each side using a handful. Each side has now used 11 strikes, meaning each has nine remaining.
As attorneys on both sides have often said, it's their duty to find people who are not only willing to serve on a homicide case – but also would maintain an open mind even if a defendant is found guilty of intentionally killing someone.
A suitable juror must then be willing to weigh arguments for a sentence of life in prison without parole or a death sentence – and be willing to cast their individual vote to support their decision. As dozens of potential jurors have told attorneys this week, that's not easy.
But that's nothing unusual, defense attorney Edward 'E.J.' Rymsza said after court. The Williamsport attorney has spent more than 15 years defending clients in capital cases.
'Sometimes, it takes weeks to select (a jury),' he said.