Suspect in Pa. Trooper Shooting Appears in Court

The trained survivalist suspected of shooting two Pennsylvania state troopers back in September is scheduled to appear in court Monday to determine if his case should be heard in county court. 

Eric Frein, who led Pennsylvania authorities on a 48-day manhunt through the Pocono Mountains before being captured on October 30, will appear before a Pennsylvania district judge Monday to determine if his case should be heard in the county court system.

The hearing at the Pike County courthouse in Milford will determine if there is enough evidence for Frein to face trial in county court. According to Lehigh Valley Live, news trucks and curious residents lined the sidewalk leading up to the small brick courthouse ahead of Frein's 9 a.m. hearing. The suspect, age 31, had been sitting in the courthouse long before the front doors open.

Frein is suspected of ambushing and shooting two Pennsylvania State Police, Cpl. Bryon Dickson and Trooper Alex Douglass, outside of the Blooming Grove Township barracks on the night of September 12 during a changing of the guard.

The suspect, a trained survivalist with good marksmanship, then led authorities on a 48-day manhunt through the Pocono Mountains that sparked fear and concern in local communities where children had been advised to stay inside. Frein was ultimately cornered and recovered by police on October 30 in an abandoned airplane hangar just 30 miles from where the shooting took place.

Scott Malkowski, a member of the U.S. Marshalls special opts team dispatched to find Frein, described the suspect's mood as disappointed when he was eventually captured.

"Sad and defeated that's what I would describe it as. He knew it was over," said Malkowski.