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By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

A couple of years ago, women were ogling Hugo Selenski, with his baby blue eyes and boyish charm.

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Hugo Selenski arrives at the courthouse for a hearing Friday morning.

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Hugo Selenski in December 2008 at Luzerne County Courthouse.

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Females traded pictures of the accused murderer on their Internet blogs, and posts like this one from 2005 were common: “I am sure whatever he did he was cute while doing it.”

But the vibe – like Selenski’s physical appearance – has changed as he’s going on nearly seven years of incarceration.

The 36-year-old’s full head of hair is gone. He’s traded a clean shave for a beard. His skin has lost its glow.

“Middle age has hit,” said one law official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official noticed the change, enough to point it out to others on Friday.

County minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said he no longer hears women buzzing about Selenski around the courthouse. He had been surprised to hear workers calling Selenski “hot” in 2006.

“Women used to sit on the steps waiting to see him,” Urban said.

Urban said he isn’t surprised that Selenski’s looks have changed.

“I guess the conviction in Monroe County took a toll on him,” he said.

Selenski is awaiting trial, charged with the deaths of Michael Kerkowski and Tammy Fassett. Their bodies were unearthed from Selenski’s Kingston Township property in June 2003.

He was convicted by a county jury in March 2006 of abusing the corpses of two men, whose remains were found at the Kingston Township home in June 2003. He was sentenced to two to four years in jail.

He was convicted by a Monroe County jury in July 2009 of the violent robbery of jewelry store owner Samuel Goosay in January 2003. Selenski was sentenced in September to 32 1/2 to 65 years in state prison for the robbery conviction in Monroe County.

At the height of his female popularity, in 2006, people obsessed with Selenski and the case were branded “Hugoists” on one of the chat rooms created to discuss him.

Selenski acknowledged at the time that he received a letter from the Philadelphia 76ers cheerleaders that read: “Roses are red. Violets are blue. Hurry up and get out, we’re all waiting for you.”

Some of his admirers set up an online fan club at My Space, proclaiming: “We love bad boys…especially Hugo Selenski. Who cares if he murdered someone?”

Interest has apparently waned because the site has not been updated since 2006.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.