The State Department of Corrections has set a date of execution for the man who killed three Pittsburgh Police officers in the line of duty in 2009.
Richard Andrew Poplawski was found guilty of killing Pittsburgh Police Officers Eric G. Kelly, Paul J. Sciullo the 2nd, and Stephen J. Mayhle in an ambush attack in April of 2009. Mayhle, who was born in Indiana and graduated from IUP, and his fellow officers were dispatched to Poplawski’s home in Stanton Heights in response to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance.
According to a notice from the Department of Corrections, Poplawski’s execution date was set for March 3rd, but it’s likely that he is still a long ways away from his execution. While the State Supreme Court upheld his conviction and death sentence in December of 2015, he still has appeals on the federal level. Also, Governor Tom Wolf has a moratorium on the death penalty in place until a state task force gives him a report on whether or not the death penalty is applied fairly in Pennsylvania.
