Opinion ID: 1720520
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: failure to change venue.

Text: Appellant claims that the pre-trial publicity in this case, both by the media and by word of mouth, prevented him from obtaining a fair trial. With his petition to change venue, Appellant filed twelve newspaper articles and the results of a poll taken of Scott County residents. The dates and number of the newspaper articles are as follows: Month/Year of Article Number January 1996 5 February 1996 1 April1996 2 May1996 2 June1996 2 The articles generally recounted the facts of the murder and robbery, that Appellant and Cheng had been arrested in South Carolina and indicted in Scott County, and that Cheng entered a guilty plea to the murders and was expected to testify against Appellant. All of this information was admissible and was introduced at trial. Appellant did not deny participating in the robbery, but relied on the defense of duress. Thus, the media publicity only informed prospective jurors of uncontested facts, most of which would be revealed to them during voir dire. The poll submitted in support of the petition for a change of venue showed that 85.7% of Scott County respondents had some familiarity with the case and 61% expressed an opinion about it. However, 79% believed that Appellant could get a fair trial in Scott County. Each of the fifteen jurors seated to hear the case had heard about or discussed it, but none purported to have an opinion as to Appellant's guilt or innocence. Only two prospective jurors were challenged for cause and both were excused. Another was removed by the trial judge sua sponte after the juror advised that he had formed an opinion about the case. A change of venue is not warranted by the mere fact that jurors may have heard, talked, or read about the case, absent a showing that there is a reasonable likelihood that the accounts or descriptions of the investigation and judicial proceedings have prejudiced the defendant; and prejudice must be shown unless it may be clearly implied in a given case from the totality of the circumstances. Montgomery v. Commonwealth, Ky., 819 S.W.2d 713, 716 (1991); Brewster v. Commonwealth, Ky., 568 S.W.2d 232, 235 (1978); see also Foley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 942 S.W.2d 876, 881 (1996), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 118 S.Ct. 234, 139 L.Ed.2d 165 (1997). There was no showing or clear implication that public opinion was so aroused as to preclude a fair trial in this case. Kordenbrock v. Commonwealth, Ky., 700 S.W.2d 384, 387 (1985), reversed sub nom. on other grounds, Kordenbrock v. Scroggy, 919 F.2d 1091 (6th Cir.1990). The vast majority of the newspaper articles generated about this case occurred long before the case was tried and were not so numerous or inflammatory as to render Appellant's trial fundamentally unfair. Foley v. Commonwealth, supra, at 880. Change of venue is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse of discretion. Bowling v. Commonwealth, Ky., 942 S.W.2d 293, 299 (1997), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 118 S.Ct. 451, 139 L.Ed.2d 387 (1997); see also Mu'Min v. Virginia, 500 U.S. 415, 427, 111 S.Ct. 1899, 1906, 114 L.Ed.2d 493 (1991); Foley v. Commonwealth, supra, at 884. A trial court's decision in this area is given great weight because of its presence in the county. Brown v. Commonwealth, Ky., 890 S.W.2d 286, 289 (1994). The evidence of pre-trial publicity in this case was not so pervasive as to indicate that the trial judge abused his discretion in denying a change of venue. As in Kordenbrock v. Scroggy, supra , not a single juror or alternate seated in this case had expressed an opinion that Appellant was guilty of the charged offenses. Compare Jacobs v. Commonwealth, Ky., 870 S.W.2d 412 (1994).