OH - Corinne Gump, 10yo rape victim dies in fire just before trial, 30 March 2015

[JanetElaine]

http://www.wfmj.com/story/34466585/seman-trial-to-be-held-34-miles-from-youngstown

Seman trial to be held 34 miles from Youngstown

Judge Sweeney granted a change of venue after determining that potential jurors in Younstown [sic] had already made up their minds about Seman's guilt.

There is no exact time line for when the trial will begin on sixteen charges including aggravated murder, aggravated arson and burglary.

Judge Sweeney will still preside over the trial which could bring the death penalty if Seman is convicted.

Portage County Common Pleas Court [in Ravenna, Ohio~JE] is about 38 minutes west of downtown Youngstown.

 

[JanetElaine]

Trial in Seman murder case set for April 12

http://http://www.wfmj.com/story/34635049/trial-in-seman-murder-case-set-for-april-12

 

[JanetElaine]

Trial in Seman murder case set for April 12

http://http://www.wfmj.com/story/34635049/trial-in-seman-murder-case-set-for-april-12

Conflicting information from WKBN:

http://wkbn.com/2017/03/01/jury-selection-in-youngstown-triple-murder-case-set-for-april/

[FONT=&quot]A final pretrial hearing will be held in Ravenna on April 12, and the processing of selecting a jury will begin the following Monday. The judge is telling all sides that she doesn’t plan to push off the case any longer.[/FONT]

 

[JanetElaine]

[h=1]Youngstown triple murder defendant jumps off courtroom balcony[/h][h=2]Robert Seman, who was scheduled to go to trial in the of killing Corinne Gump and her grandparents, has died.[/h]http://wkbn.com/2017/04/10/youngstown-triple-murder-defendant-jumps-off-courtroom-balcony/

I'm just going to keep my mouth shut about this guy and his actions because I don't want to get banned. :banghead:

 

[JanetElaine]

Live feed and possibly upsetting pic (body covered with sheet, be aware when proceeding) at http://www.vindy.com/

ETA link to another news article, also proceed with caution due to picture: http://www.wfmj.com/story/35111038/robert-seman-jumps-to-his-death-at-mahoning-county-courthouse

 

[rosie_lee]

http://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...her-grandparents-jumps-to-death-in-courthouse

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - An Ohio man accused of setting a fire that killed a 10-year-old he was accused of raping and her grandparents jumped to his death inside the*Mahoning County Courthouse Monday.

More at link...

 

[Canadian4]

I feel for anyone there who had to witness that. Coward.

 

[JanetElaine]

Police have released the video of Seman jumping over the railing (the fall and, uh, landing aren't in it). I'm unsure how I feel about this so at the moment I'm not going to link it, but it would be easy to find for those interested.

I feel for those who witnessed this cowardly act and its aftermath.

 

[gregjrichards]

I saw the gif of this perp jumping on the Daily Mail website it's a miracle nobody else was harmed when he fell. What a horrific evil crime he carried out. I'm concerned about a possible lawsuit being brought against the state and the corrections officers being held responsible for his death through improper supervision of him even though it was his own doing.

 

[JanetElaine]

I saw the gif of this perp jumping on the Daily Mail website it's a miracle nobody else was harmed when he fell. What a horrific evil crime he carried out. I'm concerned about a possible lawsuit being brought against the state and the corrections officers being held responsible for his death through improper supervision of him even though it was his own doing.

I read "somewhere" (I'll try and go find it again) that this was actually correct procedure. I guess there were potential jurors in the courthouse, so he was supposed to be in civvies, not shackled, and guards had to be at least five feet away from him. But don't pin me on that right now, I'll go see if I can find an actual source besides my memory.

 

[JanetElaine]

I read "somewhere" (I'll try and go find it again) that this was actually correct procedure. I guess there were potential jurors in the courthouse, so he was supposed to be in civvies, not shackled, and guards had to be at least five feet away from him. But don't pin me on that right now, I'll go see if I can find an actual source besides my memory.

I know I read it, but I can't find it anymore. As usual that probably means the information in the MSM wasn't correct or unverified and they deleted it. I did find this: http://www.vindy.com/news/2017/apr/11/by-joe-gorman/

"Seman was not wearing handcuffs. He was wearing khakis and a shirt and tie. Sheriff Jerry Greene said that in high-profile cases, defendants are often dressed in civilian clothes and have no visible restraints because judges do not want onlookers to get the perception a defendant is guilty before his trial starts.

Seman had gone to court regularly in such an arrangement since he was indicted in July 2015.

Greene said that such an arrangement is always a court order. He said maybe in the future he would investigate requesting a modification to that, but he said it is too soon to tell now."

Apparently has *was* wearing a 'boot', a sort of stick down his pants leg, which supposedly prevents running away. And further down the article it says there is an investigation going on into Seman's death. So we'll have to wait what gets brought up there, I guess.

 

[al66pine]

....Apparently has *was* wearing a 'boot', a sort of stick down his pants leg, which supposedly prevents running away. And further down the article it says there is an investigation going on into Seman's death. So we'll have to wait what gets brought up there, I guess.

^ sbm

Q1. Before escorting def from holding cell/room, did deputies actually put a brace*/boot/similar device on him?
Q2. Did def have opportunity to remove or disable device, maybe during a restroom break?
Q3. At time of escorted walk toward ct-rm, was def actually wearing device ?

At ~1 min in linked vid below, def's gait looks normal, relatively symmetrical, not impaired, not 'gimpy' like hobbled w chain. When walking along w deputies one sec, he makes abrupt turn, then 2-3 steps, and right over the railing. For such a solid/overweight build, the man leapt like a gazelle.

At 1min 30sec in vid, reporter said he had a brace worn under his pant leg - as a restraint.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ohio-murder-suspect-jumps-death-courthouse-article-1.3041414 Ap 10.

JM2cts. Restraint device? No device? If worn, did not seem to hamper his leap imo. Thoughts, anyone? TiA.

Rather than doing this to self before his rape trial, he did further irreparable damage - causing deaths of 10 y/o girl who was already his victim and her grandparents. Sad, sad, sad.

___________________________________________________________________

Was brace like the model below or another? Or something else altogether?
"Safe Prisoner Transport
Follow these best practices for moving arrestees between facilities.
"... leg braces that can be worn under pants are a good solution. Humane Restraint sells a leg brace that fills this need. “There are three nylon straps and one locking leather strap that actually locks to the person’s leg,” explains Schultz. “The brace allows the person to sit, and then when they stand up, the leg brace snaps into an upright position. In order for them to bend their leg again, to sit again, they have to lift the lever up on this leg brace, and it allows them to bend their knee and sit down. The best thing about this is it prevents the person from running or kicking, but it can be worn under clothing so it cannot be seen by the jury.” ubmhttp://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/2013/05/safe-prisoner-transport.aspx May 6, 2013

 

[al66pine]

I wonder if brace was something like this. Altho shown over his slacks, it's designed to be worn in court hidden under slacks.

" ... LAB-100 impedes running and kicking. It canbe worn under clothing making it idealfor jury trials and airline travel where adiscrete restraint is needed. Three nylonstraps close with hook and loop for fast application and removal. A fourth strap, locking and made of heavy duty leather, provides extra security. Rugged steel upright has hinged knee with a springloaded pin that will maintain brace in upright position until released with lever.
Use separately right or left, or right and left together for maximum security...." bbm
https://www.humanerestraint.com/col...ducts/transport-leg-brace?variant=11395205057 $ 258/leg.

 

[JanetElaine]

I wonder if brace was something like this. Altho shown over his slacks, it's designed to be worn in court hidden under slacks.

" ... LAB-100 impedes running and kicking. It canbe worn under clothing making it idealfor jury trials and airline travel where adiscrete restraint is needed. Three nylonstraps close with hook and loop for fast application and removal. A fourth strap, locking and made of heavy duty leather, provides extra security. Rugged steel upright has hinged knee with a springloaded pin that will maintain brace in upright position until released with lever.
Use separately right or left, or right and left together for maximum security...." bbm
https://www.humanerestraint.com/col...ducts/transport-leg-brace?variant=11395205057 $ 258/leg.

So I couldn't sleep. Al66pine you found the right brace! I just saw this come by on my FB feed: http://wkbn.com/2017/04/11/sheriff-on-protocol-in-seman-jump-im-not-losing-sleep-over-this-one/

It did not seem to impede his walking at all and you are spot on, he leapt like a gazelle. The sheriff has some interesting comments in the article (also pics of brace).

 

[JanetElaine]

Prosecutors release case facts against Seman:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2017/apr/11/prosecutors-release-case-facts-against-seman/

It's all about Corinne; always will be:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2017/apr/11/its-all-about-corinne-always-will-be/

 

[Lmustang89]

Hope his trip to HELL was quick. The SOB COWARD. RIP Corinne.

 

[al66pine]

JanetElaine
Thx for your post w links. I had not followed case until early this yr. Good to see prosecutor had so much evd.

As I posted ^ ---Rather than doing this to himself before his rape trial, he did further irreparable damage - causing deaths of 10 y/o girl who was already his victim and her grandparents. Sad, sad, sad.

RIP Corinne & Grandparents.

 

[gregjrichards]

I know I read it, but I can't find it anymore. As usual that probably means the information in the MSM wasn't correct or unverified and they deleted it. I did find this: http://www.vindy.com/news/2017/apr/11/by-joe-gorman/

"Seman was not wearing handcuffs. He was wearing khakis and a shirt and tie. Sheriff Jerry Greene said that in high-profile cases, defendants are often dressed in civilian clothes and have no visible restraints because judges do not want onlookers to get the perception a defendant is guilty before his trial starts.

Seman had gone to court regularly in such an arrangement since he was indicted in July 2015.

Greene said that such an arrangement is always a court order. He said maybe in the future he would investigate requesting a modification to that, but he said it is too soon to tell now."

Apparently has *was* wearing a 'boot', a sort of stick down his pants leg, which supposedly prevents running away. And further down the article it says there is an investigation going on into Seman's death. So we'll have to wait what gets brought up there, I guess.

Thank you for taking the time to find this information. I was surprised that a corrections officer wasn't by each of his sides to prevent him trying this. Not to be critical of the officers involved at all I think this was a spur of the moment cowardly decision he made that would be difficult to foresee. I'm sorry he escaped Justice and punishment in court I'm sure the officers and prosecutors are too.

May Corinne and her grandparents Rest In Peace.

 

[Indy Anna]

JanetElaine
Thx for your post w links. I had not followed case until early this yr. Good to see prosecutor had so much evd.

As I posted ^ ---Rather than doing this to himself before his rape trial, he did further irreparable damage - causing deaths of 10 y/o girl who was already his victim and her grandparents. Sad, sad, sad.

RIP Corinne & Grandparents.

BBM
ITA. If they can't face trial and punishment, I wish they would reconsider before acting. He only made matters worse for himself, as well as taking innocent lives. There are so many criminals who end up taking their own lives--either immediately after or some time following taking someone else's life. TBH, it makes me less sympathetic toward people who are suicidal because many times they do have a history of suicide attempts even before committing a crime against others. I admit wishing that Abby and Libby's killer had jumped off the bridge to his death instead of harming them. Then, I realized that I would've been feeling sorry for him if he wasn't associated with any crime. But, once he is captured and brought to justice, he may wish he'd done so. Not even Israel Keyes could deal with incarceration.

Thank you for taking the time to find this information. I was surprised that a corrections officer wasn't by each of his sides to prevent him trying this. Not to be critical of the officers involved at all I think this was a spur of the moment cowardly decision he made that would be difficult to foresee. I'm sorry he escaped Justice and punishment in court I'm sure the officers and prosecutors are too.

May Corinne and her grandparents Rest In Peace.

BBM
I'm not sure he really did escape justice, or at least punishment. Apparently, the thought of facing justice was a source of tremendous anxiety for Semans. He probably desperately sought a way to avoid punishment in the months before his trial, and saw his last chance as he was led into court. There's the moment of seeing your distance from everything below, then the horror of realizing you are falling and don't have control to break your fall. I don't know what physical reactions would happen at that height--he might have had a heart attack mid-fall, his neck may have snapped. If he was still conscious the entire distance, I can't imagine the terrible pain that pulsed through his body in the moment he hit the floor until life quickly left him. Sorry to be so graphic. I don't like to think about it. But, I do believe he had to experience tremendous anxiety to be driven to such drastic action. Then, there is the everlasting punishment he must face and cannot escape.

 

[JanetElaine]

Thank you for taking the time to find this information. I was surprised that a corrections officer wasn't by each of his sides to prevent him trying this. Not to be critical of the officers involved at all I think this was a spur of the moment cowardly decision he made that would be difficult to foresee. I'm sorry he escaped Justice and punishment in court I'm sure the officers and prosecutors are too.

May Corinne and her grandparents Rest In Peace.

You're very welcome. This was in the news today: http://wkbn.com/2017/04/12/after-fatal-jump-judge-says-defendants-in-custody-must-be-cuffed/

"[FONT=&quot]Mahoning County Judge Maureen Sweeney announced Wednesday morning a new rule for her courtroom in response to Robert Seman’s suicide earlier this week. [..snip...] [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Sweeney now says defendants in custody must be led into the courtroom in restraints."[/FONT]