CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SANTA ROSA : Judge Agrees to New Salcido Trial Venue

A judge agreed to move the trial of alleged mass murderer Ramon Salcido out of Sonoma County after reading that residents said the defendant was “totally guilty” and “they ought to hang the bastard.”

Superior Court Judge John J. Gallagher, in granting a change of venue, cited both the comments made in a defense survey of prospective jurors and the heavy news coverage of the case. Salcido, a former winery worker, is charged in the killings last year of his wife, two of his young daughters and four others. The defense survey showed that 22% of 99 people questioned in the Northern California county feared for their safety if they were on the jury.Gallagher did not decide where the trial should be moved. The judge also ruled that a tape-recorded description of the crimes made by Salcido after his arrest is admissible.