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The Wilkes-Barre man is charged in the 2009 death of Donald Skiff.
Riccardi
WILKES-BARRE – A complete Luzerne County jury has been seated to hear the death penalty trial of Elvis Riccardi.
Attorneys in the case completed selecting jurors Friday afternoon, rounding out the 12 jurors and four alternates needed to hear the case.
Selection began Monday, and the individual questioning of 134 jurors was completed Friday. More than 160 jurors were called to be questioned, if needed.
Riccardi, of Wilkes-Barre, is charged in the June 2009 death of 34-year-old Donald Skiff, of Plymouth.
Senior Judge Joseph Augello said the trial will begin Monday with initial instructions to the jurors and opening statements from prosecutors, District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll, Deputy District Attorney David Pedri and Assistant District Attorney Molly Hanlon Mirabito, and Riccardi’s attorneys, Mark Bufalino, William Watt and Paul Galante.
Attorneys expect testimony in the case to last about a week. If Riccardi is convicted of first-degree murder, the case will then go to a penalty phase.
At that point, jurors will decide if Riccardi will spend the rest of his life in prison or receive the death penalty for his crimes.
According to arrest records, Skiff was fishing with friends in Shickshinny and was kidnapped by Simonson and Riccardi.
Skiff was allegedly beaten in his Ford Ranger pickup and taken to two credit unions in Plains Township, where co-defendant, Michael Simonson and Riccardi used a bank card to withdraw money from Skiff’s account.
Skiff’s vehicle was found charred a day later. Skiff was driven to a secluded area off Suscon Road, Jenkins Township.
Simonson led investigators to Skiff’s body on June 4, 2009, at the location.
In August, Simonson, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Skiff’s death and was immediately sentenced to life in prison.
It is unknown if Simonson will be called to testify at Riccardi’s trial.