DOVER, Del. (AP) - The upcoming trial of two Pennsylvania men charged in alleged murder-for-hire scheme will have an unusual feature - two juries.
A judge this week granted a prosecution request to sever the scheduled January trials of Ryan Shover and Michael Kman. But he also granted the state's request to try the defendants simultaneously, before two separate juries.
Prosecutors say separate trials are needed because they expect co-conspirators to testify that Kman confessed and implicated Shover. But they say simultaneous trials with two different juries being ushered in and out of the courtroom as needed will ensure fair trials for both while promoting judicial economy.
Kman and Shover are charged with murder, conspiracy and insurance fraud in the death of 43-year-old Wayne Cappelli, who was beaten with a softball bat in 2013.
