CLEVELAND, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A judge in Cleveland says the trial of suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell won't be moved to another city.
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Thursday while defense attorney John Parker argued his client's trial needed to be relocated in order to obtain an impartial jury, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold rejected the request.
Saffold did leave open the possibility of a future relocation of the trial, saying she might reconsider the change-of-venue request if jury selection for Sowell's trial proves problematic.
Sowell, 50, is suspected of killing 11 women whose bodies were found at his Cleveland home in late 2009.
Parker insists media attention surrounding his client's case will cause problems during jury selection. The defense attorney also claimed his client's Miranda rights were violated after Sowell was arrested, The Plain Dealer reported.
"We feel his Miranda rights were violated," said Parker, whose client faces a June 2 trial date. "He was interviewed by police at great length. I have seen videotape of the interrogations and I have asked that it be excluded."
