Craigslist killings jury selection starts

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AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- About 200 prospective jurors gathered in an Akron, Ohio, theater Tuesday as jury selection started for the trial of suspected Craigslist killer Richard Beasley.

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Lynne S. Callahan told the large group before the process of selecting 12 jurors and six alternates began that Beasley's trial for the 2011 slayings of three out-of-work men and wounding of a fourth who responded to Craigslist ads for jobs could take as long as six weeks, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

Opening statements are expected to start Feb. 27.

The newspaper said Beasley, 53, of Akron wasn't at the Akron Civic Theatre when the proceedings began but appeared later at the county courthouse. Dressed in a dark business suit, he held a cane in one hand and covered his face with his other as he was wheeled into the courthouse in a wheelchair accompanied by several sheriff's deputies.

Beasley could be sentenced to death if convicted of killing Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron; David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Va.; and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon. He also is charged with wounding Scott Davis, 48.

Beasley's co-defendant, Brogan Rafferty, now 18, of Stow was convicted last October and faces life in prison.