BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A federal court judge says the upcoming death penalty trial of a man charged with killing a Rutland supermarket worker in 2000 will stay in Vermont.
Attorneys for Donald Fell had asked the court to move Fell’s upcoming trial out of Rutland, arguing pretrial publicity made it impossible for him to receive a fair trial.
But U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford ruled Tuesday that while the case had received extensive publicity, it will be possible to find an impartial jury to hear the case in Rutland.
Fell was convicted in federal court in 2005 and sentenced to death for the killing of Terry King, but his conviction was overturned due to juror misconduct.
His second trial is scheduled to begin late next month in Rutland.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.