Prosecutors Will Seek Death Penalty For Eric Frein
MILFORD, Pa. (CBS) -- The man accused of killing one Pennsylvania State Trooper and wounding another during an ambush appeared in court Friday morning for his arraignment.
Eric Frein, 31, is facing a long list of charges that includes first degree murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer and attempted murder.
He is being held without bail.
"Sense of relief that this has ended," Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said following Frein's arraignment.
Frein was captured by U.S. Marshals that spotted him near an abandoned airplane hangar at Birchwood Pocono Airpark in Pocono Township, Monroe County a little after 6 p.m. Thursday.
Investigators say Frein was taken by surprise and surrendered without a struggle.
"They ordered him to surrender, get down on his knees and raise his hands, and that's what he did," State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said.
They say the scratches seen on his face this morning were a result of his time evading police in the woods of northeast Pennsylvania.
"He was able to get into cabins, into other unoccupied structures, find food," Bivens said.
Bivens said investigators found weapons in the hangar after Frein's arrest.
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Authorities say Frein used a high-powered rifle to kill Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wound Trooper Alex Douglass outside the state police barracks in Blooming Grove on September 12th.
Bivens said Frein "planned it (the attack) for years."
"I've characterized his actions in the past as pure evil and I would stand by that," Bivens said Friday.
The arrest brought a near seven-week manhunt in the heavily wooded areas of northern Pennsylvania to an end.
Investigators say his capture came not through tips, but through meticulous grid searches by police.
"The thing that I want to emphasize, the reason this took so long is this is such a big wooded area that he was totally familiar with, that he had a lot of places to hide in, and we had to be very careful with how we searched it," Noonan said.
Frein was turned over to State Police, who used the handcuffs and patrol car of Corporal Dickson in his arrest.
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"Everybody was fully motivated in wanting to bring this guy to justice and we did it for the family. In the law enforcement family this is what we do," says special agent Sam Rabadi.
Frein was placed on the FBI's most wanted list after the deadly ambush.
Frein arrived for his arraignment shortly after 9 a.m. Friday at the Pike County Court House. Following his arraignment, Frein was led out the front doors of the courthouse in an orange jumpsuit and was called a "piece of crap" by a female onlooker.
The District Attorney said he intends to seek the death penalty in this case.
"Today we find some comfort as a community that we are taking these next steps toward justice," District Attorney Raymond Tonkin said.
The DA is still building his case and police say Frein has spoken with investigators, but they won't comment on a possible motive.
Investigators say they have no reason to believe Frein had any help while on the run.
After arraignment, Frein was remanded to the Pike County Correctional Facility.
He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for November 12th.
WEB EXTRA: Press Conference On Eric Frein's Capture
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