Move possible for next Fraga case

WORTHINGTON - A motion for a change of venue in the Josue Fraga murder trial, made Friday afternoon via ITV, was met with no opposition from Fraga’s public defender, Cecil Naatz.
Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Bill Klumpp told Judge Leland Bush, who has been assigned to the case, that he made the motion due to problems with publicity in the previous two trials. Klumpp noted that in the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Fraga’s second murder conviction in the case, a juror had been deemed bias and had knowledge of the first trial and conviction.
Klumpp added that if publicity was an issue then, it would only be magnified the third time and “he did not want to try the case a fourth time.”
Naatz had no objection to changing the venue, nor did his client. When asked, Fraga told Judge Bush he had discussed the possibility with Naatz and did not object. Bush did not rule on the matter, taking it under advisement. 
In a contested matter, the state also filed a motion to compel for discovery for witness Hollida Wakefield, who was precluded from the second trial. Assistant Attorney General John Gross said Wakefield, in her deposition, cited approximately 72 sources and alleged the defense did not reveal those sources adequately. 
Naatz countered that the law requires a summary of what Wakefield could potentially testify to and that was in fact provided to the prosecution. Naatz added that the motion was a bit premature, seeing that he hasn’t even decided if he will hire Wakefield as an expert witness this time around or if the public defender’s office would even have the funding to do so. 
Gross also noted three separate cases in which Wakefield was precluded from testifying when her credibility was called into question. Naatz responded by stating that she may have been kept from three cases, but was allowed as a witness in hundreds of others. 
Bush gave Naatz until Aug, 1 to submit additional information for consideration in the contested matter.