Times Leader
Friday, December 29, 2006
Selenski lauds Lupas for jail win
Homicide suspect's letter tweaks DA
By DAVID WEISS dweiss@timesleader.com
"You consistently walk into trials grossly unprepared and it would only seem fitting of you to try and prevent your opponent from proper preparation." Hugo Selenski Referring to District Attorney David Lupas in a letter
WILKES-BARRE – They've exchanged barbs for years, but homicide suspect Hugo Selenski is offering congratulations to District Attorney David Lupas.
It might be more of a teasing jab, though.
Selenski recently sent a letter to the Times Leader expressing his thoughts about a spat regarding his prison digs.
His attorneys wanted him to be housed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility instead of the State Correctional Institution at Frackville to make it easier to meet with him.
But Lupas wanted him to stay at the state prison.
And that led to Selenski staying at Frackville, for now.
Selenski, in his letter, said he was initially "angry" with Lupas. "But then I had to laugh," Selenski wrote. "You consistently walk into trials grossly unprepared and it would only seem fitting of you to try and prevent your opponent from proper preparation.
"Your actions make much more sense now, and I must congratulate you on a job well done."
Lupas on Thursday responded by saying:
"I really don't like to comment on this nonsense other than to observe that Selenski seems to enjoy generating press for himself. Obviously, he just seems to be seeking attention again in the media."
A hearing on Selenski's housing issue is set for next week.
The debate was sparked after Selenski's lead attorney, John Pike, filed court papers asking for Selenski to be housed indefinitely at the county prison, where Selenski made a dramatic escape in October 2003.
Pike asked for the move because meetings at the state prison would be monitored by surveillance cameras. He and his team would be separated from Selenski by glass and forced to speak with him via telephone. Documents given to Selenski would first be inspected by prison officials, Pike said.
Court of Common Pleas Judge Chester Muroski initially approved the request, but Lupas and his prosecution team filed an objection to the move.
They said the meetings are not recorded and documents are not inspected by officials. The prosecutors said they were reluctant to have Selenski housed at the county jail because of "witness safety, co-conspirator contact and security for" Selenski.
Muroski then decided to have Selenski brought to the county for a meeting with his attorneys but be returned to Frackville pending next week's hearing.
Pike on Wednesday filed additional court papers stating Lupas has no legal standing to fight the transfer.
Selenski and Paul Weakley are awaiting trial in the deaths of pharmacist Michael Kerkowski and his girlfriend, Tammy Fassett.
Selenski's full letter will be published Jan. 2 on the Times Leader editorial page.
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David Weiss, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7397.
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Hmmm, DL is, like the snapping turtle my dad was watching on an Animal Planet show the other night. Ha ha ha.... Wacth out, he'll take a finger off!!
And he's a broken record, saying the same shit over and over and over again, I'm sick of it.
i don't see how a guilty person would do things like that. i think some people just see him and just don't like something and automatically take that and make him guilty in their eyes- b.s.! ok, i'm off my soapbox for now... =-p
I don't know why the TL waits to print the whole letter but lets DL comment on it before the public reads it, yadda yadda yadda. They definitely have impartiality issues, and not just with Hugo. See the Hazleton IIRA fiasco- they're suing for the names of the donors who support the IIRA--- F**cK you TL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =-P I only continue to check their website. I won't buy an issue, ha.
Anyone else have this problem? 
