It took nearly eight years to bring Thomas G. Stanko to a courtroom in the death of Cassandra Gross, but it took only a single day to choose the 12 people who will decide his fate.
Seven men and five women were seated Monday in Westmoreland County to serve as the jury in the case.
Stanko, 55, of Unity is charged with the 2018 killing of Gross, his former girlfriend, whose body has never been found despite years of intensive searches on and around his property.
Opening statements and testimony are scheduled to begin Wednesday morning before Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II.
The proceedings follow a swift selection process where lawyers questioned a panel of 80 prospective jurors to seat the final jury and four alternates. The trial is expected to span approximately two weeks and will feature a witness list of 50 people, including about two dozen police officers, members of the Gross family and witnesses associated with Stanko.
Gross, 52, was reported missing in April 2018 and legally declared dead by a judge a year later. Although Stanko was considered a suspect almost immediately after her burned-out SUV was found near Twin Lakes Park, investigators did not officially charge him with homicide until Oct. 27, 2022. He has consistently denied any involvement in her disappearance.
Prosecutors Jim Lazar and Katie Ranker Ellwood intend to introduce physical and circumstantial evidence they claim details a violent relationship between Stanko and Gross, as well as allegations of a history of violence against other women with whom he was involved.
According to pretrial testimony and court filings, investigators claim they found a burn barrel on Stanko’s property containing charred remains of Gross’ eyeglasses, clothing and the tip of an insulin pencil she likely used to care for her dog. The dog was found alive near Gross’ vehicle when it was discovered days after she vanished.
Despite the discovery of those items, searches conducted over the past eight years have failed to turn up Gross’ remains.
On Tuesday, Stewart will meet with the prosecutors and defense attorney Marc Daffner to hash out remaining pretrial issues before the jury begins hearing evidence Wednesday morning.