Henry County, Ill. (KWQC) -One of the QCA’s most prominent cases might not happen in the 309-area code. Jamison Fisher, the man accused of killing Trudy Appleby in 1996 has asked for a change of venue to either Rockford, Bloomington or Urbana. A date has not been scheduled for a judge to decide where an eventual trial would take place, but it does play a major role in a potential appeal and the resources it will take for prosecutors to present their case.
What is a change of venue?
A change in venue is considered when an attorney feels their client can’t get a fair trial in the county where the case is being prosecuted. Most commonly, as is the case with Jamison Fisher’s motion for a change in venue, attorneys will argue that there is too much media attention. The media and community attention could mean that the likelihood of having an unbiased jury is low, leading to an unfair case for the attorney’s client.
Why can it be a good thing for prosecutors?
Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham believes it should be a relief for prosecutors that Fisher’s attorneys asked for a change in venue. Even if the trial is moved nearly two hours away from the Quad Cities, it takes out a big avenue for Fisher to ask for an appeal if he were to be found guilty.
“The issue of change in venue becomes very important in these types of cases because there is always going to be a lot of pretrial publicity and if defense council does not file that motion, as a prosecutor, my concern is that that is going to become an issue on appeal,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham says a client claiming an ineffective defense from their attorney is the most common appeal. Cunningham says if Fisher’s attorneys didn’t ask for a change in venue, he would have a clear reason to file an appeal.
Expensive change
If the judge rules that a change in venue is necessary, prosecutors will have to prepare for dozens of witnesses to get transported, housed and fed ahead of their testimony. The costs rack up quickly according to Cunningham. She had to prepare for the Henry Dinkins case who was accused of kidnapping and killing Breasia Terrell in 2022. A judge granted a change in venue from Davenport to Cedar Rapids which Cunningham said would have costed tens of thousands of dollars…