Prosecutor Robert Becher
Defense Attorney F. Stanton Ackerman
Scott Chaplin
Rosemary CrosierTROY, N.Y. - Opening statements were heard Wednesday morning in the trial of Scott Chaplin, accused in the 1994 killing of Rosemary Crosier in Troy.
Chaplin faces one felony charge of second-degree murder in the case. While jury selection was going on Monday it was learned that prosecutors had asked to reduce the charges against Chaplin, which was granted. Dropped were charges of intentional murder and reckless murder.
Police said Crosier was beaten to death during an apparent robbery while working the overnight shift at a city group home on Prout Avenue back in March 1994.
During opening statements, both Prosecutor Robert Becher and Chaplin's Defense Attorney Fred Ackerman highlighted the relationship between 47-year-old Rosemary Crosier and Chaplin, then 18-years-old, and what it may or may not have to do with her murder.
The first witness to take the stand Wednesday is Cindy Pross, the supervisor who worked the shift before Crosier at the group home.
Bill Gillet, an evidence technician, and Captain Robert Paul, the lead investigator on the case, are also expected to testify Wednesday.
Chaplin and another man, George Mott, were arrested in connection with the killing in 2011. Mott was found not guilty of all charges against him in January.
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