Attorney: Protests show need to move trial


By Jonathon Shacat
Wick News Service

July 24, 2008

BISBEE — An attorney defending U.S. Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett’s murder case says the recent protest in Tucson against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is another reason the upcoming trial should be moved to Phoenix.

In a filing dated Monday submitted in federal court in Tucson, attorney Jim Calle replied to the prosecution’s response to the defense’s change of venue motion.

Defense attorneys want the trial moved from U.S. District Court in Tucson to Phoenix due to extensive media coverage of this case in particular and immigration issues in general. Prosecutors don’t directly oppose the change-of-venue request but want the court to conduct an investigation to determine if a fair and impartial jury can be found in Tucson.

Calle replies that “the defendant believes there is more than enough evidence of a polarized jury pool in Southern Arizona to warrant a change of venue now and not during jury selection in Pima County.â€