Killer won't testify
MILFORD — The gunman who ambushed two state police troopers at their barracks in 2014 decided Tuesday he would not take the stand to try to persuade jurors to spare his life.
The defense rested its case after Eric Frein opted not to testify in the penalty phase of his capital murder trial. His lawyers said outside court they did not want to expose Frein to cross-examination, fearing he might try to “rationalize” the deadly ambush.
Prosecutors are scheduled to call their last witness today, followed by closing arguments and jury deliberations.
Frein, 33, was convicted last week of killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass in an unprovoked, random sniper attack at the Blooming Grove barracks. He was captured after a 48-day manhunt.
Prosecutors have said Frein was trying to foment a rebellion against the government. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Wednesday on whether to sentence him to death or to life in prison without parole.
On Tuesday, Frein’s 20-year-old sister, Tiffany, cast him as a protective older brother.
Tiffany Frein, who was adopted into the family when she was 4, described a highly dysfunctional household. She said her father, Eugene Michael “Mike” Frein, physically abused her, once punching her in the face seven times after she called him a vulgar name. She testified that her mother was a selfish manipulator.
