Westmoreland DA convenes grand jury for unsolved homicides

Westmoreland County’s first investigating grand jury in more than three decades was seated Tuesday to hear evidence in unsolved homicides and major crimes.

District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced last fall the creation of the grand jury. It is intended to be a tool to compel witnesses to produce evidence and testify under oath when normal investigatory techniques have proven unsuccessful.

Ziccarelli and other court officials declined Tuesday to comment, citing the confidentiality and secrecy requirements surrounding the creation and operation of the grand jury. Ongoing grand jury testimony and other logistics around the process are not permitted to be made public, according to court officials.

In announcing the creation of the grand jury, Ziccarelli in October said a priority for her office is to bring unsolved homicide cases to resolutions.

“An investigating grand jury is another resource we can use to assist law enforcement in making progress in cases that involve major crimes,” Ziccarelli said last year. “Our hope is that new revelations could be made resulting in finding answers for victims’ families and holding someone accountable for a crime they committed.”

Court sources confirmed that 23 grand jurors and 15 alternates were selected for the panel over the last two days. The grand jury, which is being presided over by Common Pleas Court Senior Judge Rita Hathaway, is expected to meet once or twice each month for about 18 months.

While grand juries have been a standard investigatory tool for federal and state prosecutors, it has been rarely used in Westmoreland County.

The last grand jury convened in the county was in the late 1980s to investigate suspected ticket-fixing allegations leveled against the North Huntingdon police department. Following its investigation, the grand jury recommended criminal charges and prosecutions against the township’s police chief, police officers and the sitting district judge.