Judge denies request to move Andre Hill police killing trial
Associated Press
1 / 2
FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2020, file photo, Andre Hill, fatally shot by Columbus police on Dec. 22, is memorialized on a shirt worn by his daughter, Karissa Hill in Columbus, Ohio. Former Columbus Police officer Adam Coy was charged with murder in the shooting death Andre Hill, a Black man. Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson filed a motion Wednesday, July 14, 2021, opposing Coy's request for the trial be moved to another county in order to convene a fair and impartial jury. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins, File)This undated photo provided by the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff's Department shows Adam Coy, a former Columbus Police officer who was charged with murder in the shooting death of 47-year-old Andre Hill, a Black man. Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson filed a motion Wednesday, July 14, 2021, opposing Coy's request for the trial be moved to another county in order to convene a fair and impartial jury. (Franklin County Ohio Sheriff's Department via AP, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2020, file photo, Andre Hill, fatally shot by Columbus police on Dec. 22, is memorialized on a shirt worn by his daughter, Karissa Hill in Columbus, Ohio. Former Columbus Police officer Adam Coy was charged with murder in the shooting death Andre Hill, a Black man. Assistant Attorney General Anthony Pierson filed a motion Wednesday, July 14, 2021, opposing Coy's request for the trial be moved to another county in order to convene a fair and impartial jury. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Extensive publicity over last year's fatal shooting of Andre Hill by a Columbus police officer won't prevent the now-fired officer from receiving a fair trial in central Ohio, a judge ruled Wednesday in denying a request to move the trial.
Defense attorney Mark Collins argued in a June court filing that extensive local and national publicity about the killing — including news coverage, posts on social media and billboards around Columbus — will make it impossible to assemble an impartial jury for Coy in Franklin County.
Assistant Ohio Attorney General Anthony Pierson opposed the request, contending that there was no reason to believe that people elsewhere were less likely to have read about the case than were Franklin County residents.
Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh agreed, writing in his three-page ruling, “Therefore, where can the case be tried where some media scrutiny does not exist?”
Coy has pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide charges. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 4.
In May, the city reached a $10 million settlement, the largest in Columbus history, with the family of Hill.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
