Judge gives no indication when he will rule in change of venue bid in BART shooting trial
By APFriday, October 9, 2009
Change of venue hearing in BART shooting concludes
OAKLAND, Calif. — An Alameda County judge gave no indication when he would rule on a bid to have the murder trial of a former transit officer charged in the killing of an unarmed man moved out of the area.
Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson said Friday he would consider all the evidence and testimony after defendant Johannes Mehserle’s four-day change of venue hearing ended.
Mehserle’s attorney, Michael Rains, said in closing arguments that expert testimony and a survey of potential jurors prove that his client’s case must be moved in order to receive a fair trial.
The 27-year-old Mehserle is charged with the shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station on New Year’s Day.
He has pleaded not guilty in the case.
