Change of Venue

Fall                        Waning Back To School Moon

Sorry, all, but wordpress or somebody ate my Nick Caspers file. I’m putting this here until I get this sorted out.

JENNY MICHAEL Bismarck Tribune | Posted: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 11:57 am | (3) Comments

A man accused of murder in McIntosh County will stand trial in Bismarck in late November.

The trial for Nicholas Caspers is slated to begin Nov. 30 in Bismarck. It is scheduled as a four-day trial.

Caspers, 27, faces a Class AA felony murder charge in the death of Paul Varner, 30, who died in the early morning hours of Feb. 28 after an altercation at his home in Wishek. Caspers, who is free on bond, was arrested after Varner was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Defense attorneys for Caspers had moved for a change of venue, arguing it would be impossible to get a fair jury in the sparsely-populated community due to the notoriety of the case.

McIntosh County State’s Attorney Terry Elhard initially opposed the motion but dropped his opposition after preliminary juror surveys came back. He said the surveys indicated it would have been difficult to get a jury.

South Central District Judge Bruce Haskell will preside over the trial.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)