Death penalty trial to begin for inmate in prison guard’s slaying

SCRANTON – Opening statements are scheduled in the death penalty trial of an inmate charged in a Pennsylvania federal prison guard’s 2013 death.
The trial in federal court begins Monday.
Forty-year-old Jessie Con-ui is charged in the February 2013 stabbing death of 34-year-old corrections officer Eric Williams at the Canaan federal prison in Waymart.
Prosecutors allege he was angry about a search of his cell. They are expected to show jurors surveillance video they say indicates the attack was premediated.
Defense attorneys said the stabbing was retaliation for mistreatment by guards, not premeditated.
A judge also ruled Friday jurors can hear most, but not all, of the defendant’s alleged statements after the slaying.
If Con-ui is convicted of first-degree murder, jurors will decide whether between life in prison and execution.