Judge Denies Motion To Move Trial For Robert Bowers, Accused Tree Of Life Shooter
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A federal judge denied the request to change the venue of the trial for the man accused of killing 11 people at the Tree of Life in 2018.
The judge denied the defense attorneys for Robert Bowers nearly 3,900-page change of venue motion. His defense team alleged that media coverage of the attack and other community rallies would make it impossible for Bowers to get a fair trial.
A seven-page opinion from U.S. District Judge Robert Colville denied the request saying that it has been more than three years since the attack and media attention has lessened.
Bowers' defense attorneys also alleged that said media attention would make it impossible to impanel an impartial jury.
"Given this large, diverse pool of potential jurors, the suggestion that 12 impartial individuals could not be impaneled is hard to sustain," the judge responded.
This was in reference to there being more than 2.1 million people for the jury to pull from in the case.
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