FRANKLIN — Jury selection begins today here in the homicide by vehicle trial for Paul Morrisroe, accused in the June 2015 hit-and-run death of Dakota Heinaman in Cyclone.
Morrisroe, 40, of Sunny Lane in Marshburg, is facing numerous charges including homicide by motor vehicle while driving under the influence of marijuana and alcohol.
According to McKean County Court personnel, 175 jurors from Venango County have been summoned for jury selection, which is slated to begin this morning.
McKean County President Judge John Pavlock will hear the case, which will be prosecuted by McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg Shaffer. Morrisroe is represented by attorneys Robert Kinnear from Warren and Daniel Lang from Bradford.
Court records said on June 2, 2015, on Route 646 in Cyclone, a motorcycle operated by Heinaman had slowed to turn into his driveway when it was struck from behind by a full-sized pick-up truck which police allege Morrisroe was driving. The truck left the scene.
Heinaman was thrown from the motorcycle and did not survive the crash.
Witnesses who heard the crash stopped to try to help, and called 911. A police officer, arriving shortly thereafter, followed gouge marks in the road from near the scene of the crash to Morrisroe’s garage door at his Sunny Lane residence, according to court records.
The truck was parked inside the garage. Police reported that they could see front-end damage on the truck by looking through the windows of the garage. A warrant was obtained, and police took the truck into evidence.
Morrisroe was located in his home, and denied knowing anything about the crash. He was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, but declined a blood test at Bradford Regional Medical Center until police secured a search warrant for it the following morning, according to prior testimony in the case.
A state trooper certified as a drug recognition expert attempted to speak to Morrisroe, but Morrisroe declined. The trooper, however, testified at prior hearings in the case that from what he had observed, Morrisroe was under the influence of alcohol.
Morrisroe was arrested in August 2015. And from there began a lengthy trip through the criminal justice system, with challenges to the search warrants in the case, hearings to attempt to suppress evidence, a change in district attorneys and a change in defense attorneys.
A trial had been attempted in McKean County in May, but court officials were unable to seat a jury. After three days of questioning — and excusing — potential jurors, Pavlock called a halt to the proceedings. Only five jurors were seated, many of the rest excused for knowing the participants in the case, being familiar with media reports or rumors about the case, or for other reasons.
At that point, Pavlock granted a change of venue and venire in the matter — the place where the trial will be held, and the location from where the jurors will be summoned.
Those three days of jury selection in Smethport were rife with controversy — with potential jurors discussing the case and their opinions on it, including at least one person saying Morrisroe should “hang for what he did;” with an outburst from a passing motorist to jurors who were outside at lunch time, again calling for Morrisroe to “hang;” and with many potential jurors telling the judge they were already convinced of Morrisroe’s guilt based on news stories, rumors and a campaign for “Justice for Dakota,” the victim in the case.
Nine days have been set aside for the trial.
