Loughner Trial to be Held in Tucson
BusinessWeek reports:
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Court proceedings for Jared Lee Loughner, facing murder and attempted murder charges, will be moved to Tucson, Arizona, where the Jan. 8 shootings he is accused of took place, according to his lawyer’s agreement with prosecutors.
Judy Clarke, Loughner’s lawyer, and Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney in Phoenix, said in a court filing yesterday that they agreed future proceedings should be held in Tucson. They reserved the option to object later to that location, according to the filing.
Federal prosecutors sought to move the case to Tucson from Phoenix to make it easier for victims and witnesses to attend hearings. Clarke said at a Jan. 24 hearing that she wouldn’t oppose moving the case to Tucson, depending on the arrangements made for her client. U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns of San Diego is presiding over the case.
Loughner, 22, was indicted for the attempted murder of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a gunshot through the head, and two of her aides, at a community meeting outside a Tucson supermarket. He pleaded not guilty to those charges on Jan. 24.
Prosecutors said Jan. 19 that those charges were “just the beginning” and that to bring an indictment on charges that potentially carry the death penalty is a longer process.
