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SVC law professor quoted in Associated Press story about inmate’s 4-decade appeals process

SVC law professor quoted in Associated Press story about inmate’s 4-decade appeals process

by Public Relations | October 01, 2024

LATROBE, PA – Bruce Antkowiak, C’74, J.D., law professor and senior legal counsel to Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Archabbey, recently was quoted by The Associated Press in an article about the ongoing appeal process on behalf of a man convicted of murder 41 years ago.

When Steve Szarewicz was accused of murder in 1983, there was no physical evidence and the prosecution’s case hinged on the testimony of four jailhouse informants. A Pittsburgh jury found Szarewicz guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Three of the four informants later recanted and Szarewicz has filed several unsuccessful appeals of his conviction. He remains incarcerated in the State Correctional Institution-Houtzdale.

“Our court system places the issue of credibility on the altar of a jury,” Antkowiak told The AP. “And if a jury heard these witnesses and made the determination that they were truthful, appellate courts are loathe to make any change at all.”

 

Portrait of Bruce Antkowiak sitting at his desk

Bruce Antkowiak.