By Britney Milazzo
Niagara Gazette
LOCKPORT —
State Supreme Court Appellate Judge Eugene Fahey denied a defense motion for a change of venue in the trial of accused murderer Anthony J. Allen on Monday. Jury selection will resume in Niagara County Court on Wednesday, according to published reports.
“We were told to give jury selection another shot in Niagara County, and if that doesn’t work, to come back and restate our motions,” defense attorney E. Earl Key said Monday. In refusing to halt jury selection, Fahey stopped the process that would have allowed the defense’s change of venue request to go to the next court level.
Key, who represents Allen, 19, of Rochester, said he understands the process he has to go through, but is looking to give his client a fair trial.
“I don’t expect this jury selection to be any better than the last,” Key said. “The public has already formed their opinion about my client because of all the media publicity.”
Allen is accused of killing 24-year-old youth counselor Renee Greco last year at a Wyndham Lawn School campus on East Avenue. Police say Allen and former co-defendant Robert J. Thousand, 18, also of Rochester, covered the victim’s head with a blanket and beat her to death.
Allen was charged with three counts of first- and second-degree murder. Thousand faced the same charges, but pleaded guilty in June to manslaughter and is scheduled to testify against Allen as part of the plea agreement.
After two days of jury selection lest week, the process was halted when no jurors were selected. Out of a pool of about 140 jurors, only two reportedly said they did not know about the case.
“I’ve handled a lot of high-profile homicide cases in my career and I’ve never had this many people indicate they know about the case,” Niagara County Court Judge Sara Sheldon Sperrazza said.
If the second round of jury selection is unsuccessful, Key said he will re-present his motions to Fahey in Buffalo to move the trial venue out of Niagara County. If accepted, Key said he will then continue to full Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Rochester for its approval.
Key said he would like to see the case go to Monroe County or a more populous county outside of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area where nobody knows of the case, however, both teens are from Monroe County.
