Death-penalty jury to be chosen
Jury selection for a former Canonsburg man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and dumping her body in a wooded area of Mt. Pleasant Township will begin Wednesday.
The trial for Jordan Clemons is scheduled to begin May 4 and last several weeks, according to his attorney, Brian Gorman. Gorman said jury selection should take “at least a week.” The delay between jury selection and the trial is the result of “evidentiary issues,” he said.
Clemons, 26, of Pittsburgh, is accused of killing his former girlfriend, 21-year-old Karissa Kunco of Pittsburgh, in January 2012 and dumping her body in a wooded area of Mt. Pleasant Township. Kunco was last seen alive Jan. 11, 2012. State police allege that after killing her, Clemons dragged her naked body into the woods along Sabo Road and covered it with leaves, brush and a tree stump. Her throat was cut. Kunco had a protection-from-abuse order against Clemons.
Clemons faces a host of charges, including criminal homicide, and the prosecution is seeking the death penalty.
Gorman declined to say if Clemons would testify during the trial. Gorman intends to argue head injuries Clemons suffered as a result of playing football and several vehicle accidents, plus years of drug abuse, diminished his mental capacity. Any brain injury Clemons experienced could have been a factor in his ability to form criminal intent, Gorman said in court documents.
In April, Judge Katherine Emery, who has since become Washington County’s president judge, declined Gorman’s attempt to move the trial to another county. Gorman cited extensive news coverage of the homicide and the formation of a group known as Karissa’s Army, which organizes rallies and sponsors a Facebook page, as reasons Clemons cannot get a fair trial in Washington County.
Emery disagreed, stating that evidence did not show that potential jury members would be prejudiced against Clemons.
Because of the nature of the case, a large number of jury summonses were sent out to obtain the needed jury pool.
Clemons also faces charges from a home invasion in Canonsburg on Jan. 8, 2012, and is charged with flight to avoid apprehension in connection with an alleged assault of Kunco in December 2011.
Clemons remains in Washington County Jail without bond.