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What effect has media coverage of Sievers murder have on the trial?

Posted at 7:24 AM, Oct 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-04 07:24:13-04

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The jury process in JImmy Rodgers' murder trial has been moving slowly and it's led many people to wonder why the trial was kept in Lee County.

An attorney we spoke with says moving a case takes a lot of time and money, and it was probably considered for the trial of Jimmy Rodgers.

He says if any motions to move it were filed, the judge most likely wanted to keep it here because he felt the people of Lee County should be judging this case, since the murder happened here.

Part of the reason this jury selection process has taken so long is because of how much media attention the case has had in the last four years, and this attorney says it is still a possibility Mark Sievers' trial could be moved out of Lee County.

"If this trial goes on 4-5 weeks as expected, all the media coverage coming here, certainly his attorneys may file a motion to change venue, even if they've previously done it, because this case is getting media coverage from the Jimmy Rodgers trial,” says criminal defense attorney Brian Edwards.

Mark Sievers is accused of hiring Jimmy Rodgers and another man to kill his wife Teresa Sievers in 2015 for insurance money.

So not only the media coverage of the murder when it happened and in the last four years, but also the added media coverage while the Rodgers case is happening.

We haven't heard of any motions filed to make this happen, but we'll let you know if we do.

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