Lawyers for the teenager accused of shooting classmates at Marshall County High School last year requested on Monday a change of venue for the trial.
The petition said the charges generated “a great deal of publicity” in local, regional and national news coverage and that the allegations against Gabe Parker are “sensational”.
The lawyers said because Marshall County only has one high school, local jurors could not be unbiased. The petition also said the GOP fundraiser in Murray last August featuring then NRA President-elect Oliver North generated “additional negative publicity”and the Michael Carneal case involving the Heath High School shooting in McCracken County in the 1990s still remains in people’s minds today.
The petition will be heard in the Marshall Circuit Court on May 17 at 1 p.m.
Parker faces multiple counts of murder and assault and could receive life in prison without the possibility of parole until he has served at least 25 years. A trial date is set for June 1, 2020.
