Jury selection set for Griffin double homicide trial
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Jury selection for Andrew Issac Griffin’s double homicide trial will occur on Oct. 21 and 22 at 8:30 a.m. in Dowler Hall at Belmont College.
Griffin is accused of killing his Salsa Joe's Restaurant business partner, Thomas Strussion, and his wife, Angela Strussion. The couple were murdered in their Trails End Drive home near Belmont in 2021, along with their dogs.
On Friday morning, Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalter held the final pre-trial hearing for Griffin before his trial set to begin Oct. 26.
During Friday's hearing, Berhalter asked Assistant Attorney General Chris Kinsler if the state has any new discovery.
"We’ve provided some discovery in terms of what I described as new but not new. It was material that’s already been provided. We may be provided in different places in a PowerPoint or information that was gathered that was in discovery has been placed on that," Kinsler said. "We have provided some of those things this week. We’ve also provided, I believe, witnesses that have previously been disclosed as companies keeper of records. We’ve been able to get a name for that person. Provided those accounts, I think we may have at least one more of those that we have to disclose, and we’ll do that as soon as we get it."
He added the company of records has rules requiring waiting a few days before trial before it discloses the actual identity of a witness.
Kinsler informed Berhalter that as soon as the state has that information, he will share it with the court.
Griffin’s attorney Kate Clark of the Samuel H. Shamansky Law Office said she is beginning to receive a witness list from the state.
"I believe the government when they say they sent over an additional discovery, but the discovery in this matter is voluminous. So I have not personally reviewed that, but I’ll make sure that we have it after our hearing," Clark said. "As far as discovery in our case, Your Honor, we similarly turned over a one-page document, which I would also describe as new but not new, and have coordinated about that material with the government."
Berhalter then informed the court the state has one pending motion not yet ruled on.
Motion A is a motion made by the state to allow a witness to appear by deposition.
The witness lives in Oklahoma and has a serious health condition making travel difficult.
"There's an affidavit and it’s my understanding that the state is attempting to demonstrate unavailability through that affidavit. Do you have a position on that issue?" Berhalter asked Clark.
Clark replied that she is not opposed to the state demonstrating unavailability via affidavit but remains opposed on constitutional and confrontation grounds.
Berhalter confirmed that he will make a ruling on the motion promptly but did not provide an estimate of when that ruling would be.
Lastly, Berhalter asked both Clark and Kinsler if they have reached an agreement of what instructions the bailiff will give to jurors during the jury view of the Trails End Drive home where the Strussions died.
Kinsler said the state has provided a script for the jury view, but only provided it to Clark on Friday morning via email.
Clark confirmed she received the email but did not have the opportunity to review the instructions.
"But we’ll certainly work with the government to get that done as soon as possible," Clark said.