Local News in Brief : Attempted-Murder Trial Moved to L.A.
A Long Beach Superior Court judge Monday granted a change of venue in the trial of a newspaper executive’s stepson on charges he attempted to murder his former girlfriend.
Judge Elsworth M. Beam ordered the trial of Bradley Ackerman, 23, moved to Los Angeles after a defense attorney argued that coverage in the Long Beach Press-Telegram had created a “hostile climate” for Ackerman.
“Long Beach is a relatively self-contained area, and this case has become a cause celebre ,” defense attorney Anthony Murray said. “There’s only one side of the story told.”
Ackerman, the stepson of Press-Telegram Chairman Daniel H. Ridder, is accused of shooting Julie Alban, 22, in the back as she slept June 8. Alban later said Ackerman was upset because he wanted to get married and she was unwilling.
Prosecutors opposed moving the trial to Los Angeles, saying the travel would pose a hardship to Alban, who is paralyzed below the waist. Deputy Dist. Atty. Ken Lamb also argued that “the defense created its own publicity” and that Ackerman’s family could have limited coverage in the local newspaper.
A trial date will be set Thursday.
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