State Supreme Court upholds death sentence for man who killed 3 officers

PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the death sentence for a man convicted of shooting and killing three Pittsburgh police officers in 2009, according to Channel 11's news partners at TribLIVE.

Richard Poplawski, 29, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2011 for ambushing and killing officers Eric G. Kelly, Stephen J. Mayhle and Paul J. Sciullo II at his Stanton Heights home.

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The Supreme Court said Tuesday that all the evidence against Poplawski was properly vetted by the court and admissible, ruling unanimously to uphold his sentence, TribLIVE reported.

However, Gov. Tom Wolf still has a de facto moratorium on the death penalty. He is using the governor's power to grant reprieves to temporarily postpone executions until a state task force delivers a report on whether the death penalty in Pennsylvania is applied fairly and effectively, TribLIVE reported.

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WPXI