Judge grants change of venue for murder trial

By Associated Press Published: Jul 7, 2009 at 2:12 PM PST
Judge grants change of venue for murder trial
Joel Courtney is accused of aggravated murder in the case of Brooke Wilberger, then 19, who vanished from outside an apartment building near the OSU campus May 24, 2004.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson says a court granted a change of venue for the trial of Joel Courtney, charged with murder in the disappearance of Brigham Young University student Brooke Wilberger from Veneta, Ore.
     
He says a new location has not been determined but the prosecution agreed to the motion Tuesday after talking to the Wilberger family.
     
Wilberger, then 19, vanished from outside a Corvallis apartment on May 24, 2004. Her body has not been found.
     
The case has attracted widespread media attention in the Willamette Valley.
     
Haroldson says he is willing to try the case in any Oregon county.
     
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