Prosecutor opposes a change of venue in Richey case

Lammers said ruling on the motion now would be premature. The proper way to handle the matter is to try first to seat a jury to determine whether the jury pool has been tainted, according to court records filed in Putnam County Common Pleas Court.
Richey, 43, was awarded a new trial over the June 30, 1986, fire death of 2-year-old Cynthia Collins. The young girl died in a Columbus Grove apartment fire Richey is accused of setting to target his ex-girlfriend.
Richey was convicted at a 1987 trial and sentenced to death. He spent more than 20 years on death row before a federal court tossed his conviction saying he did not receive adequate legal representation at his first trial.
He is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated arson, child endangering, and breaking and entering. Richey’s legal team has presented 426 newspapers articles, letters to the editor or editorials about the case since it began. That does not include any reports by television or radio media.
They want the trial in Columbus, saying it would be a convenient place since one prosecutor is from that town as is one defense attorney, and the visiting judge. It’s also a convenient location for Richey’s other out-of-state attorneys.
Richey has said he cannot receive a fair trial in Putnam County. He criticizes people in that area, saying they will believe rumors over the truth. He said none of them seem interested in looking through evidence in his case.
Also in the case, Richey’s long-time appellate attorney Ken Parsigian, of Boston, has been appointed co-counsel to Ohio assistant public defender Greg Meyers. Parsigian won the new trial but Meyers is certified as a lead attorney for death penalty cases.
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