Jury Selection Begins For Man Accused Of Killing Girlfriend, Putting Body In Freezer
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Jury selection has begun in the trial of a man accused of killing his girlfriend, putting her body in a freezer and burying the body in the back yard of his Shaler home.
George Biegenwald's daughter wept openly during a pretrial motions hearing as details of the case were discussed in court.
His defense team will argue that the death of his girlfriend, Donna See, was accidental after a fight. They claim that after she fell, hitting her head, he panicked, and put the body in a grave that took him three days to dig.
The prosecution disputes the self-defense claim. They say she died of multiple blunt force trauma to the head.
Before jury selection began this morning, the defense argued against admission of a statement by another woman who met George Biegenwald through an online dating service.
She claims she was physically attacked by Biegenwald. In a statement she made just last month, she said the attack was precipitated once she revealed she had bi-racial children.
She claims Biegenwald frequently used the "N-word" in an attack that turned physical.
Allegheny County Judge Jill Rangos ruled that specifics of the use of the "N-word" would be inflammatory, but that she can testify about what led up to the physical attack.
Prosecutors say that attack happened while the body of the dead woman, Donna See, was still in the freezer of Biegenwald's home.
Among the questions potential jurors are being asked:
- Have you or anyone you know suffered from alcoholism?
- Have you been involved in an abusive relationship?
- Have you participated in online dating?
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