[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO

[Rick Halperin]

April 10



OHIO:

Robert Seman jumps to his death at courthouse


Robert Seman has thrown himself off the fourth floor of the Mahoning County 
Courthouse and is dead.

Seman had a status hearing in his death penalty case and threw himself off the 
balcony onto the floor of the rotunda.

A Vindicator reporter witnessed the jump.

A news team is at the scene and reports that Seman's body lays covered by a 
white sheet on the marble floor of the courthouse rotunda at the first floor 
level. His outstretched arms are visible from under the sheet. Seman was 
dressed in civilian clothes for the hearing and was wearing a white 
long-sleeved shirt.

Yellow crime scene tape is being stretched around the columns in the rotunda 
surrounding the body.

A crowd has gathered at the scene. Standing near the body is Seman's attorney 
Tom Zena.

Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene has told the deputies staffing the metal 
detectors at the entrances to let no one else into the building.

Seman faced the death penalty if convicted of the March 30, 2015, deaths of 
Corinne Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, in an arson 
at their Powers Way home the day Seman was to go on trial for raping the girl.

Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Cantalamessa, lead prosecutor on the case, said that 
she thinks "it's telling" that Seman leaped to his death instead of taking his 
chances at trial.

Cantalamessa said she is surprised because Seman had proclaimed his innocence 
and there was no mention of any problems by his attorneys.

She said she was looking forward to trying the case because the evidence was 
strong and that the case just about fits every specification for the death 
penalty.

Jury orientation in Seman's capital murder trial was to begin April 12 in 
Portage County Common Pleas Court.

The trial of Seman, 48, of Green, was being moved to Portage County after 
attempts to pick a jury in September and January in Mahoning County were 
unsuccessful because of pretrial publicity.

(source: Youngstown Vindicator)