Change Of Venue Hearing For Kilpatrick Trial
DETROIT (WWJ) - Will Kwame Kilpatrick be tried in Detroit or elsewhere on federal corruption charges? That's the question to be answered in court this afternoon - the hearing coming as a 12-member jury is now in place to hear the case.
The hearing to request a change of venue is scheduled to get underway at 2pm Thursday before U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds. Attorney John Shea, who represents contractor Bobby Ferguson, says recent media coverage is to blame for the request.
"That went into jurors' background and jurors in past cases and their families causes us to be very concerned that jurors may feel intimidated. It's a jury intimidation issue more than anything else," says Shea.
Threatening public comments following a news story and blog were also mentioned as a concern. However, when the issues were initially raised, the judge indicated she thought it was too premature.
Stay with WWJ for coverage of today's change of venue hearing in the Kwame Kilpatrick corruption trial.
