A Franklin County judge has denied a change of venue request from the Blendon Township police officer accused of murder after shooting and killing a pregnant woman in the parking lot of a grocery store in August 2023.
Ta'Kiya Young, 21, and her unborn child died. Her family opposed the motion for a change of venue as did prosecutors.
Grubb's attorneys argued that the jury pool in Franklin County would be too tainted with news of police shootings for an unbiased jury to be selected.
Franklin County Judge David C. Young, who is no relation to Ta'Kiya Young, ruled that the local publicity of the case has not been so intense that the court should dismiss the processes for finding local, unbiased jurors.
The ruling states the jury process will start at the end of October. Testimony is expected to begin in early November.
Grubb's defense team told the judge that without a change of venue, they may seek a bench trial. That's when a judge decides whether a defendant is guilty instead of a jury.
