ell ; ▁state ▁Att orney ▁General ▁Tom ▁Cor b ett ; ▁U . S . ▁Senator ▁Bob ▁Case y ; ▁former ▁Pitts burgh ▁Police ▁Chief s ▁Nathan ▁Har per ▁and ▁Robert ▁Mc Ne illy . ▁ ▁C riminal ▁proceed ings ▁On ▁April ▁ 2 1 , ▁ 2 0 1 0 , ▁a ▁sp okes man ▁for ▁Al leg hen y ▁County ▁District ▁Att orney ▁Stephen ▁Z app ala ▁announced ▁that ▁the ▁D . A .' s ▁Office ▁would ▁seek ▁the ▁death ▁penalty ▁for ▁Pop law ski , ▁whose ▁formal ▁ar ra ignment ▁took ▁place ▁on ▁June ▁ 1 . ▁A ▁county ▁judge ▁ordered ▁police ▁investig ators , ▁att or ne ys , ▁court ▁and ▁j ail ▁personnel ▁to ▁not ▁discuss ▁the ▁case ▁with ▁the ▁media . ▁ ▁Although ▁Pennsylvania ▁has ▁the ▁death ▁penalty ▁on ▁the ▁books , ▁and ▁has ▁hundreds ▁of ▁conv icted ▁murder ers ▁on ▁death ▁row , ▁the ▁last ▁time ▁the ▁state ▁actually ▁executed ▁anyone ▁was ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 9 . ▁Since ▁the ▁state ▁re inst ated ▁the ▁death ▁penalty ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 8 , ▁only ▁three ▁people ▁have ▁been ▁executed , ▁and ▁all ▁three ▁had ▁wa ived ▁their ▁appeal ▁rights . ▁Pennsylvania ▁has ▁never ▁executed ▁anyone ▁who ▁has ▁taken ▁full ▁advantage ▁of ▁the ▁appeal ▁process . ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁Pitts burgh ▁Post - G az ette , ▁if ▁Pop law ski ▁cho oses ▁to ▁take ▁full ▁advantage ▁of ▁the ▁appeal ▁process , ▁then ▁even ▁if ▁he ▁is ▁sent enced ▁to ▁death , ▁" it ▁may