KETCHIKAN, Alaska — KETCHIKAN — The trial of a Washington state man charged in the death of an Alaska surgeon will be held in Juneau.
The Ketchikan Daily News reports Superior Court Judge Trevor Stephens this week granted the motion by attorneys for 33-year-old Jordan Joplin to move the trial from Ketchikan.
Joplin is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree theft connected to the March 2017 death of 58-year-old Dr. Eric Garcia.
The judge wrote in his ruling that it "appears highly unlikely that an impartial jury can be selected" in Ketchikan.
Defense attorney Katrina Larsen says the change of venue allows Joplin to receive a fair trial away from media attention in Ketchikan.
Ketchikan District Attorney Timothy McGillicuddy declined to comment on the change of venue decision.