Trial site chosen for suspect in 2018 Texas school shootings

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A teenager accused in the fatal shooting of 10 people at his Houston-area school faces trial 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) from where the attack happened.

A judge in Galveston County has moved the capital murder trial of 18-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who attended Santa Fe High School, to Richmond, in Fort Bend County. Pagourtzis also is charged with aggravated assault — 13 people were wounded.

Judge John Ellisor in February approved a defense request for a venue change amid intense publicity. Ellisor on Friday set jury selection for January as Pagourtzis faces state charges as an adult, but isn’t eligible for the death penalty because he was 17 during the attack.

The defense has said Pagourtzis also faces 11 federal counts in a case sealed because he was a minor during the shootings.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.