David Ison.
Fox 59 TV-Indianapolis
(Brookville, Ind.) - David Ison is asking for a change of venue so he can receive a fair trial.
The 46-year-old from Fayette County is accused in the five murders on Stipps Hill Road in Laurel on September 25. Roy Napier, his family, and friend Henry Smith were each shot to death, Indiana State Police investigators say by Ison.
Last week, Ison’s public defender, Hubert Branstetter, filed a motion asking the trial to be moved based on the media attention the case has received, according to the Richmond Palladium-Item.
The newspaper reported the motion stated Ison is unable to receive a fair trial in Franklin County due to prejudicial news reporting that Branstetter said "castigates" the defendant. Various reports have also included "inadmissible evidence and allegations of a past criminal record."
Franklin Circuit Court Judge Steven Cox will make the ruling on whether to grant the change of venue.
Ison’s next appearance in Franklin County court is Wednesday, November 16. He has previously pleaded not guilty to five counts of murder.
Ison remains held at the Ripley County Jail on a charge of Attempted Armed Robbery for a failed holdup at the G.A. Triplett Pharmacy in Osgood last May.
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