Houston Chronicle by Nick Powell June 21, 2019
The trial of the teenager accused in the Santa Fe High School shooting will begin next January in Richmond, the Fort Bend County seat.
State District Judge John Ellisor announced the location Friday, four months after he granted a change of venue motion filed by the defense attorney for Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 18, charged with capital murder in the shooting that killed 10 people and wounded 13 in May 2018.
By choosing Fort Bend County, Ellisor said he was balancing the defense’s concern that Pagourtzis would not receive a fair trial in Galveston County with the desire to accommodate family members and others who want to attend.
“It’s 77 miles from this courthouse door to their courthouse door,†Ellisor said. “There is a county that sits between us, but they have agreed to let us come try the case there.â€
Ellisor will preside over the case. Jack Roady, the Galveston County district attorney, retains jurisdiction as prosecutor.
A docket control order was also set for Pagourtzis’ trial. Jury selection will begin Jan. 23, 2020. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Feb. 18. The trial is expected to last four to six weeks, and will include at least 23 prosecution witnesses.
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