ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) - A lawyer for a man charged in connection with the killing of a Vermont woman says pre-trial publicity has made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in an unrelated case.
The Caledonian Record reports (https://bit.ly/1g1zLC6) the lawyer for 33-year-old Keith Baird asked a judge to move Baird’s upcoming trial on 45 counts of violating an abuse prevention order out of Caledonia County.
Baird pleaded not guilty last month to first-degree murder in the 2010 death of 78-year-old Pat O’Hagan in her Sheffield home. Court documents say O’Hagan was shot during a botched robbery, then sexually assaulted.
Defense lawyer Robert Katims says the publicity on Baird has saturated the community and has created a bias against him that precludes his ability to receive a fair trial.
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Information from: The Caledonian-Record, https://www.caledonianrecord.com
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