Inmate on death row seeks new trial over Pa. corrections officer killing

A Somerset County jury convicted Paul J. Kendrick of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death for killing Sgt. Mark Baserman in 2018

September 10, 2025 01:52 PM

Paul J. Kendrick.png — Paul J. Kendrick, 30, was sentenced to death following a lengthy trial in the beating death of Baserman, a corrections officer who was on duty that day.

By David Hurst
The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.

SOMERSET, Pa. — A retired Cambria County judge has scheduled a post-trial hearing Oct. 9 over motions raised by a prison inmate seeking a new trial over Sgt. Mark Baserman’s 2018 death.

Senior Judge Patrick Kiniry has scheduled the hearing to listen to arguments over motions raised by Paul J. Kendrick’s defense.

Kendrick’s legal team has cited conversations by one or more jurors outside court, alleging jury misconduct or “contamination” concerns.

The filing is part of a list of motions that separately includes claims of new post-trial evidence that, defense attorneys say, should grant Kendrick a new death penalty phase of his trial.

Kendrick, 30, was sentenced to death in August following a lengthy trial in April in the beating death of Baserman, a corrections officer who was on duty that day.

Prosecutors said Kendrick sucker-punched Baserman and then struck him in the head repeatedly, ending the attack with a sprinting kick to the corrections officer’s head.

A jury of Somerset County residents found Kendrick guilty of first-degree murder and issued a verdict that included the death sentence.

Kendrick is currently being housed at SCI-Phoenix.

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