HOLLIDAYSBURG — The pending murder retrial for Paul Aaron Ross in the 2004 killing of a Hollidaysburg woman has suffered another setback.

Because of recent spikes in local COVID-19 cases, President Judge Elizabeth Doyle, in an announcement distributed Friday, said that jury trials scheduled in November and December are being canceled.

“For the safety and security of the jurors, victims, defendants, witnesses, attorneys, court and courthouse staff and public, the court will not be convening large public events through the end of the year,” Doyle said.

The county previously notified two groups of potential jurors to report this month to the courthouse.

One group, directed to report Monday, would have been considered for Ross’ murder retrial scheduled to start Nov. 30 and expected to last two weeks.

Nine years ago, the state Superior Court concluded that Ross deserved a new trial based on errors in his 2005 trial leading to convictions and a life sentence. Legal arguments and related appeals have repeatedly delayed Ross’ pending retrial that was on the eve of beginning next week with the selection of 12 jurors and six alternates.

“It will be rescheduled as soon as the court schedule permits in 2021,” Doyle said in an order issued Friday postponing the trial.

Ross, meanwhile, remains incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy in Frackville, Schuylkill County. He is accused of killing 26-year-old Tina S. Miller of Hollidaysburg, whose body was found near a boat launch at Canoe Creek State Park on June 27, 2004.

The judge’s order also affects a second group of summoned jurors slated to report between Nov. 23 and 25. That’s when they would have been questioned and considered for jury trials during a two-week period in December.

To advise potential jurors of the canceled sessions, the court administration office prepared a recorded message that jurors are advised to access, via telephone, before heading to the courthouse.

Doyle’s announcement of the jury trial cancellations was made during a week when the state Department of Health reported significant increases, locally and statewide, in positive COVID-19 tests.

Her decision also followed a notice by the sheriff’s department of its temporary inability to transport inmates. The department’s staffing level dropped, partly due to COVID-19 exposure or related quarantine, so available deputies are being assigned to courthouse safety and security tasks, according to Sheriff James Ott.

Court Administrator Janice Meadows said Friday that her office will review the court schedule to figure out when the Ross trial will fit. While the summoning of jurors involves a lot of preparation, she offered no protest to canceling jury trials through the end of the year.

“It’s the right thing to do in this situation,” Meadows said. “We were starting to get more calls from jurors who had (COVID-19 related) concerns.

“And while a lot of people were still willing to come in,” Meadows said, “we had concerns, too, about how we would handle the situation if a juror, during a trial, became ill or if they felt they had been exposed or exposed others.”

Until deputies can resume transporting defendants, the judges are expected, when possible, to convene court proceedings through use of video and audio communication equipment.

In the meantime, the district attorney’s office will remain open and available for appointments, either remotely or in person, District Attorney Pete Weeks said Friday.

“When our courts shut down our justice system’s ability to conduct jury trials, that decision carries real-world legal repercussions that can include an incarcerated defendant’s release,” Weeks said.

Since the spring when the COVID-19 pandemic developed, Weeks maintains that violent crimes have increased locally, contributing to his department’s current caseload of 10 defendants awaiting trial on homicide charges.

Weeks also reported observing an increase in the amount of local defendants who have been released on bail, giving them an opportunity to commit additional crimes.

“The public can be assured,” he said, “that we are working to clarify the court’s intention toward some of those safety concerns, including whether the court intends to pause the time clock on how long a defendant can be jailed without a trial before she or he is entitled to release.”