The trials of Marc and Misty Ray of Perry will not be tried in Dallas County, after the Judge granted a change of venue request Wednesday morning.

The request was considered by Judge Terry Rickers, who is presiding over the case involving the death of 16-year-old Sabrina Ray on May 12, 2017. The attorneys for the defense presented their arguments for moving the trials out of Dallas County, which centered around the extensive media coverage the case has received, as well as a great deal of social media commentary. They cited questionnaires returned from potential jurors, where more than 50% of those polled answered that they couldn’t be fair in their decision on the case. Because of those factors, the attorneys maintained that it would be nearly impossible to find a decent jury pool.

The prosecution countered by saying there was likely nowhere they could move the trial where they could have a completely unbiased jury, given the speed at which information travels. They also believed that given Dallas County’s population, there was a reasonable pool of jurors to choose from for the case. After hearing all the arguments, Rickers sided with the defense and granted the change of venue request, stating, “Because of the pervasive nature of the coverage of this case, which has apparently caused people to determine in advance what the verdict should be in this case, I find that it’s necessary to change the venue of the trial of the defendants to a location outside of central Iowa.”

Rickers added, he has no direct control over where the new venue will be, but he will make a suggestion to the State Court Administration. The defense suggested Pottawattamie County, given its distance from Dallas and similar population. The Judge felt that would be an acceptable location. The new location won’t be decided until a firm trial date is confirmed, which Rickers said will happen in the coming weeks. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.