FILE – In this Feb. 25, 2019 file photo Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the Santa Fe High School student accused of killing 10 people in a May 18 shooting at the high school, is escorted by Galveston County Sheriff’s Office deputies into the jury assembly room for a change of venue hearing at the Galveston County Courthouse in Galveston, Texas. A judge has ordered Pagourtzis’ trial be moved to another county. State District Judge John Ellisor granted Pagourtzis’ request for a venue change Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, Pool)
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A judge has ordered the trial of a teenager accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a Texas high school be moved to another county.
State District Judge John Ellisor granted Dimitrios Pagourtzis’ request for a venue change Wednesday. The 18-year-old is charged with capital murder for the deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School that also wounded 13 people last May.
Pagourtzis’ lawyers argued that the case needed to be moved out of Galveston County to ensure an objective jury pool, noting that venue changes have been allowed in other high-profile cases. Prosecutors contended an impartial jury could be selected in the county courthouse, which is 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Santa Fe.
Ellisor will select a new venue for the trial later.
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