BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rochester has been floated as a possible location for the federal trial of mass shooter Payton Gendron, as attorneys argue over whether the proceedings should be moved out of Buffalo.
During a Friday hearing, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo ruled the trial will not be relocated to New York City, but the defense suggested Rochester as an alternative venue.
Defense attorneys said extensive publicity and the emotional toll of the May 14, 2022 attack at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo — where 10 Black people were killed — could prevent jurors from Western New York from remaining impartial. They argued moving the trial to another city in the region, such as Rochester, could help ensure fairness…