Louisiana Attorney General's Office says Greenhouse trial should stay in Avoyelles

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<p> As expected, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office disagrees that media coverage surrounding Norris Greenhouse Jr.’s upcoming murder trial requires the trial be moved out of Avoyelles Parish. 12th Judicial District Judge William “Billy” Bennett has scheduled a hearing on the motion for 1:30 p.m. Monday.</p>
<p> Greenhouse’s trial on 2nd degree murder and attempted 2nd degree murder is scheduled to begin Oct. 2.</p>
<p> Defense attorney George Higgins III filed a motion Wednesday asking that the trial be moved because it will be impossible to seat an unbiased jury to try the case in Avoyelles. Higgins wrote that he has “not previously witnessed the scope, magnitude and depth of media coverage granted the Greenhouse case” and has concluded his client “will not be able to receive a constitutionally mandated fair and impartial jury trial in Avoyelles Parish.”</p>
<p> The Attorney General’s Office disagrees, saying that “while there has been extensive media coverage surrounding this case, the defendant asks this court to speculate” that all 600 Avoyelles residents in the pool of potential jurors have “read what he believes to be prejudicial pretrial publicity and (has) formed an opinion based on this prejudicial pretrial publicity.” </p>
<p> Higgins also cites two Facebook groups who have been vocal about the case to bolster his arguments to move the trial. He said the Avoyelles Speaks and Avoyelles Watchdogs for Justice have impacted the ability to find an unbiased jury. The prosecutors counter that it would be “incorrect to assume, at this state in the proceedings, that the 600 jury venire-men and women are even members of these two Facebook groups."</p>
<p> The AG’s Office also pointed out that publicity was just as intense before Derrick Stafford’s trial, and a fair and impartial jury was seated.</p>
<p> Greenhouse and Stafford were on duty as Marksville City Marshal’s deputies when they pursued a vehicle driven by Christopher Few down a dead end street in Marksville for what is believed to have been a traffic violation. The two officers fired a total of 18 bullets -- 14 by Stafford and four by Greenhouse -- into Few’s vehicle, critically wounding the driver and killing his 6-year-old son, Jeremy Mardis, who was seatbelted in the front seat next to his father. </p>