In Westmoreland County Court yesterday, eight jurors were selected for the murder trial of Ray Shetler Jr., the 33-year-old New Florence man accused of killing Saint Clair Township Police Officer Lloyd Reed Jr. in November of 2015.
Four more jurors and four alternatives have yet to be chosen. The jurors appointed yesterday included six men and two women.
District Attorney John Peck, who is seeking to death penalty against Shetler, told the court he could potentially call 28 witnesses, the majority of them in law enforcement, when the trial begins. Defense attorney Mark Daffner will call four, including Kristen Luther, Shetler’s girlfriend, who had called police for a domestic incident at her New Florence home on the night of the fatal shooting. Shetler also faces charges related to that incident, and other charges pertaining to a stolen pickup truck he accused of using in his escape attempt.
A new pool of fifty prospective jurors will be summoned to the courtroom of Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio today.
