Attorneys for Cops in Bell Case Ask for Venue Change

If lawyers for the detectives involved in the Sean Bell case get their way, the venue for a trial may be moved out of Queens. The attorneys for Detectives Mike Oliver, Gescard Isnora, and Marc Cooper met with Judge Arthur Cooperman and prosecutors yesterday to notify them of their intent to move the case out of Queens. Oliver and Isnora are charged with manslaughter while Cooper is facing reckless endangerment in the shooting death of Bell in November, 2006. Bell, Joseph Guzman, and Trent Benefield, all found to be unarmed, were fired upon 50 times by police officers.

The lawyers claim that media coverage, which they believe to be biased, has tainted the jury pool in Queens. They also say opinion polls they have taken show the public is against the officers. Since the case gripped much of the city, and not just the borough of Queens, we wonder if the defense will attempt to move the trial outside the city entirely.

Queens DA Richard Brown said, "There is no reason to believe a fair and impartial trial cannot be found among the 2.3 million residents of this county."

To actually move the location of the trial, the defense attorneys have to file a motion with the Supreme Court's Appellate Division in Brooklyn. The lawyers didn't say when they would actually file their motion. The trial is currently set to start on February 4th. Prosecutors told the Daily News that they will "vigorously oppose" attempts to move the trial.

Image of newspaper covers from November 26th, 2006, the day after the Sean Bell shooting.