The prosecution in the case involving the accused Marshall County High School shooter said they likely won’t oppose a possible motion from the defense seeking a change of venue.
Gabe Parker is a juvenile being tried as an adult on two counts of murder and 14 counts of first-degree assault for the January shooting. A status hearing is scheduled for this Friday at the Marshall County Circuit Court.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Mark Blankenship said he expects Judge Jamie Jameson to set a trial date during the hearing. Blankenship said it wouldn’t be unusual for the defense to request the trail take place outside of the county where the shooting occurred.
“This case has gotten an enormous amount of publicity. What we don't want to do is put all these families through a trial and then later it be overturned because it was improper venue, you know we only want to try this thing one time,” Blankenship said.
Blankenship believes he has strong evidence in the case no matter where the trial takes place. He said the hearing should involve state police passing along discovery items, including interviews with every student at the high school.
Blankenship said it is likely Parker has been evaluated by a psychiatrist, but said his attorney has not released a notice of a mental defect. If he has been evaluated, those results would be turned over to discovery at the hearing.