Court Denies Request To Move Trial From Bibb County
Austin Patrick Hall, the man charged with shooting Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Johnson to death and wounding Deputy Chris Poole in June 2022 will not see a change of venue in his trial, at least not for now. Circuit Judge Marvin W. Wiggins denied a defense request to move the trial based on extensive news coverage, but he did not rule out reconsidering the issue later.
Hall's defense attorneys had requested the trial be relocated to either Bibb, Dallas, Hale, Perry, or Wilcox County in the state's 4th Judicial Circuit. The motion by the defense sites “extensive pretrial publicity, widespread community discussion, and strong preconceived opinions” about the case.as the reason for the request.
Alabama law allows a case to be transferred if a defendant cannot reasonably expect a fair and unbiased trial in the current county. But legal experts say it is not unusual for a judge to reconsider a denial at the time a jury is being selected.
No trial date has been set.
Hall had been released from Calhoun County Jail just weeks before the shooting in Bibb County during an attempted traffic stop by the deputies. He was later captured during a multiple agency manhunt.
Hall is facing multiple charges, including three counts of capital murder, attempted murder, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. He has pleaded not guilty. However, if convicted her could receive the death penalty or a sentence of life in prison without parole.
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