PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jury selection begins Monday for the death penalty trial of a man charged in the shooting death of a western Pennsylvania police officer almost two years ago.
After a jury is chosen, testimony is slated to begin next week for the trial of 31-year-old Rahmael Sal Holt in the November 2017 slaying of New Kensington officer Brian Shaw.
Prosecutors have said they intend to seek capital punishment if Holt is convicted of first-degree murder. Holt has maintained that he wasn’t the one who fired the shots that killed Shaw following a traffic stop in New Kensington.
A judge last week rejected a defense request to remove Holt’s previous gun charges from trial evidence. Judge Rita Hathaway said she would usually grant such a request, but in this case such a ruling would limit the ability of prosecutors to present a motive for the killing of the officer.
“The commonwealth is alleging your client fled and shot Officer Shaw, the motive being he was a former convict who was not to possess a weapon,” she told defense attorney Tim Dawson.
Dawson had argued that the gun evidence was unrelated to the slaying. He said his position was that “just because someone carries a handgun doesn’t mean he is a murderer.”
Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said prosecutors would contend that Holt was an armed drug dealer who had planned to rob the driver of the SUV Shaw attempted to stop on the night of the shooting.
Holt’s father, 48-year-old Gregory Baucum, is facing witness intimidation charges stemming from his son’s case. The judge last week ordered him to remain jailed until his son’s trial is completed.
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