20 years since Hugo Selenski escaped prison using bed sheets

Hugo Selenski was in custody on murder charges at the county jail on Water Street.

In June of 2003, the bodies of five people were found buried in the backyard of the home where Selenski lived in the Back Mountain area of Luzerne County. Among them were the bodies of Michael Kerkowski, a pharmacist, his girlfriend Tammy Fassett, and suspected drug dealers Frank James and Adeiye Keiler.

Selenski was arrested soon after and charged on October 6, 2003, with the murders of James and Keiler.

A few days later, Selenski escaped from the Luzerne County Prison in Wilkes-Barre on October 10, 2003, using a string of bed sheets to scale down the prison wall. He then covered razor wire with a mattress and climbed over to freedom.

Another inmate, Scott Bolton, escaped with Selenski. Police say Bolton fell during the escape and was flown to the hospital with serious injuries.

Luzerne County District Attorney Dave Lupas noted that Selenski used a broom to open a jail window and used 12 bed sheets tied together to climb out of the facility.

Selenski spent three days on the loose.

Court papers indicated that Selenski's aunt hid him in an upstairs bedroom for a day. Investigators said Selenski left the house in Pittston after one day. Court papers show he was dropped off in a wooded area of the Back Mountain. Selenski may have used a car left there to make it to his house.

Selenski turned himself in to the police at his home off Mount Olivet Road in Kingston Township, the place where the bodies were discovered earlier that year.

In 2006, a judge threw out escape charges against Selenski after apparent errors by the district attorney's office related to requirements for a speedy trial in the case.

Bolton was eventually sentenced to nine to 12 years behind bars for escape and burglary charges. He was no longer able to walk due to his injuries during the escape attempt.

In February 2006, a jury was seated, and Selenski stood trial for two murders—Frank James and Adeiye Keiler. The victims, suspected drug dealers, were two of the other people found buried in his backyard.

Selenski was found not guilty of the murder charges. He was sentenced to two to four years in state prison for burning the bodies.

After failing to get a conviction in that case, the Luzerne County district attorney's office filed charges against Selenski for the murders of Kerkowski and Fassett.

Police allege Selenski strangled the two in early May 2002, just as Kerkowski was to be sentenced on drug charges in Wyoming County. These killings allegedly happened a full year before the murders of James and Keiler and the raid on Selenski's Back Mountain home.

Selenski's alleged criminal partner, Paul Weakley, was also charged with the murders of Kerkowski and Fassett.

In 2008, Weakley pleaded guilty to federal charges. He is serving a life sentence and agreed to testify against Selenski.

In 2009, Selenski went on trial for a violent home invasion and robbery in the Poconos. Police say back in 2003 before the bodies were found in Selenski's backyard, he and Weakley broke into a jewelry store in Tannersville after breaking into the owner's home and assaulting him.

Selenski was found guilty and sentenced to up to 65 years in state prison in that case.

Weakley had previously pleaded guilty to his involvement in that crime.

After years of delays and legal wrangling, jury selection began in January 2015 in Luzerne County court for the murders of Kerkowski and Fassett.

The D.A. told the jury: "What you will hear will shock you, will horrify you, and will break your heart."

In their opening statement, Selenski's defense tried to blame Paul Weakley for the murders.

Weakley demonstrated in court how he says he and Selenski bound the victims with zip ties and took turns torturing Kerkowski to find out where he had hidden tens of thousands of dollars in cash.

The defense called about a dozen of its own witnesses trying to tarnish the credibility of Weakley.

After two days of deliberations, the jury found Selenski guilty on all charges except conspiracy to commit robbery on Fassett and solicitation for murder on Kerkowski.

Selenski was sentenced to life in prison on February 18, 2015, more than 11 years after his escape from the Luzerne County Prison.

Less than two hours after Hugo Selenski's life sentence was announced, Selenski granted his first interview with Newswatch 16.

Inside a room at the Luzerne County prison, the convicted double murderer emphasized his innocence.

"As far as the verdict, it's hard to say I respect the verdict," said Selenski. "I'll live with it. I stand by my innocence."

In his opinion, Selenski explained that the jury went the wrong way, thanks to his former partner-in-crime Paul Weakley.

When asked how the bodies of Tammy Fassett, Michael Kerkowski, and three others ended up on his property, he said, "That's a question I'd like an answer to."

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Hugo Selenski, age 50, is currently incarcerated at SCI Fayette in western Pennsylvania.