Change of Venue Request Denied for Decorah Man Accused of Killing His Father
A request for a change of venue by a northeast Iowa man accused of killing his father has been denied.
44-year-old Aaron Whittle of Decorah was arrested on March 20, 2022 and is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 74-year-old Lawrence Whittle in Aaron Whittle’s home three days earlier. Whittle has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial on February 20th.
In November, Whittle’s attorney filed a motion seeking a change of venue for the trial citing that extensive pretrial publicity by media outlets as well as social media would make it difficult to find an impartial jury. A hearing on the change of venue request was held December 6th in Winneshiek County District Court.Â
This week, District Judge Laura Parrish ruled that Whittle’s change of venue request has been denied, noting that the defense failed to prove that pretrial media coverage of the case was prejudicial or editorial in nature against the defendant. She added that most of the press was factual and accurate.
However, Parrish’s ruling acknowledges that the Court agrees it would be appropriate to provide a questionnaire to all potential jurors with regard to any potential exposure to pretrial publicity, but also to discover any potential problems related to their familiarity with the Defendant or the victim.                        Â
Whittle remains in the Winneshiek County Jail in Decorah on a $1 million cash or surety bond.
