Jury selection begins in Monroe for 2 murder cases

Feb. 04--As of Monday, Monroe County trial jury selections were scheduled for today in four cases: two murder cases, a sexual offense case involving a minor and an aggravated assault case involving a former Pocono Mountain School Board member.

John Tedesco, 44, and his wife, Tina Tedesco, 37, are charged in the fatal neglect of Barbara Rabins, 70, who was found dead Aug. 18, 2011, in the couple's home.

Police believe the Tedescos left Rabins, who was paralyzed with limited ability to move around, unkempt, unwashed and in her own filth. She died from dehydration while choking on a two-inch piece of cheese found in her throat, according to the Monroe County Coroner's Office.

Named as beneficiaries of Rabins' $100,000 life insurance policy taken out in 2005, five years prior to her stroke, the Tedescos are charged also with stealing more than $3,300 a month of Rabins' trust fund money, for care giving and living expenses, by falsely posing as her nephew and niece.

Shawn Develvet, 48, is charged with murdering then-employee Quentin Thomas, 34, in May at the Tobyhanna barbershop Develvet owned at the time.

A witness said Develvet and Thomas got into an argument that got physical while both were at work, according to police. The witness said Develvet injured Thomas, who was then rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Jazz musician Jesse Green, 42, of Delaware Water Gap, is charged with having sexual contact with a girl between the time she was 12 and the time she was 17. The alleged victim now lives in another state.

George Strunk, 39, of Cresco, is accused of punching and kicking brother-in-law George Oney during a May 2012 argument at Strunk's home. Strunk allegedly then pointed a gun at Oney and wife Debra Strunk, telling them, "No one's going anywhere."

Strunk, who has since resigned from the Pocono Mountain School Board, said he never assaulted or pointed a gun at anyone. He said Oney was the one who assaulted him when he confronted Oney and Debra Strunk about Debra allegedly owing money to a drug dealer for illegally obtained painkillers.

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