Bus crash suspect's trial will stay in Willmar

Olga Franco
Olga Franco walks to the courthouse for a hearing. A judge denied a defense request to move the trial from Wilmar to the Twin Cities.
MPR Photo/Mark Steil

Judge Peterson moved the trial from Marshall to Willmar last month. The defense appealed the choice, saying the chances of finding a diverse, impartial jury were better in the Twin Cities.

In rejecting the request, Peterson wrote the defense offered no evidence "that Kandiyohi County lacks a diverse jury pool."

The judge's order means that the trial is still scheduled to start July 28th in Willmar.

Defense attorney
Olga Franco's attorney Manuel Guerrero maintains she was not driving the van that crashed into a school bus in Cottonwood, killing 4 children. He says Franco's boyfriend was driving and fled the scene after the accident.
MPR Photo/Mark Steil

Still pending before the judge is a defense motion to present a case blaming Franco's boyfriend for the crash that killed four school children.

The state alleges that Franco drove the van which hit the bus. Franco denies the charges, she says her boyfriend was the driver.

Defense Attorney Manual Guerrero says he wants the judge to authorize his strategy, so the defense doesn't face a barrage of prosecutor objections in front of jurors.

The boyfriend fled the scene of the accident and has not been located.

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