TAMA, Iowa (AP) - A judge has ordered a cold case murder trial moved out of Tama County.
Tait Purk has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. He’s accused of killing his fiancee, Cora Okonski, who vanished without a trace in 2000. Her body has never been found.
Purk’s lawyer had argued in a motion that Purk couldn’t get a fair trial because of publicity and other factors in Tama County. Prosecutors agreed, and a judge Tuesday ordered the trial moved to Marengo in Iowa County.
The trial is scheduled to begin May 1. Purk’s serving time on unrelated federal drug and gun charges.
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