Pennsylvania- Jury selection began Tuesday morning in the capital homicide case of Harlow Cuadra.
Cuadra, 27, of Virginia Beach, Va., is accused of killing Bryan Kocis in his Dallas Township home in January 2007. Prosecutors say Cuarda and his business partner, Joseph Kerekes, plotted to kill Kocis, a rival producer of gay pornography.
Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski asked general questions of 125 possible jurors this morning. All but approximately 20 potential jurors said they had heard about the case.
Twenty of the possible jurors will be individually questioned this afternoon by defense and prosecution attorneys. Twelve jurors and four alternates must be selected. No one has been selected so far.
Cuadra, who faces an open count of homicide, as well as arson and other charges, could face the death penalty if convicted. Cuadra’s co-defendant, Kerekes, 44, pleaded guilty Dec. 8 to second-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to life in prison without parole, the mandatory term for a second-degree murder conviction.