May 2, 2015 3 min read

More than three years after Karissa Kunco’s body was discovered in the woods in Mt. Pleasant Township, her alleged killer, Jordan Clemons, will go to trial Monday.

Clemons, 26, formerly of Canonsburg, is accused of killing 21-year-old Kunco, of Pittsburgh, in January 2012 and dumping her body in a wooded area of Mt. Pleasant Township. Kunco was last seen alive Jan. 11, 2012. State police allege that after killing her, Clemons dragged her naked body into the woods along Sabo Road and covered it with leaves, brush and a tree stump. Kunco, whose throat was cut, had a protection-from-abuse order against Clemons. The pair dated.

The prosecution is seeking the death penalty.

Jury selection was completed over three and a half days in March. Attorneys narrowed 151 potential jurors down to the 16-member panel – 12 jurors and four alternates.

Defense attorney Brian Gorman declined to say if Clemons will testify during the trial. In the past, Gorman argued head injuries Clemons suffered while playing football and in several vehicle accidents, plus years of drug abuse, diminished his mental capacity. Any brain injury Clemons experienced could have been a factor in his ability to form criminal intent, Gorman said in court documents.

Assistant District Attorney Chad Schneider plans to call more than 20 witnesses, including Kunco’s father. On Tuesday, Washington County Common Pleas Judge Gary Gilman ruled the prosecution can use Kunco’s PFA and statements she made to medical staff at St. Clair Hospital in Mt. Lebanon following an alleged Dec. 18, 2011, assault by Clemons. The evidence, according to court documents, will be used for the purpose of showing ill will, motive or malice, and assist in painting a picture of the former couple’s relationship.

Clemons also faces charges from a home invasion in Canonsburg Jan. 8, 2012, and is charged with flight to avoid apprehension in connection with the alleged assault of Kunco in December 2011.

Clemons remains in Washington County jail without bond.