Published on Thursday, August 28, 2008
By RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
Raymond Lee Oyler, charged with murder and arson in the deaths of five firefighters in the 2006 Esperanza Fire, wants his death-penalty case tried in another county.
A "lynch mob atmosphere" and prejudicial news coverage that has "in many instances been reduced to nothing more than vilification" wrecks Oyler's chance for a fair trial in Riverside County, his attorney claims in recently filed papers.
A hearing on the change of venue motion is scheduled for Sept. 26.
A private survey conducted for Oyler concludes that potential jurors in Riverside County cannot view Oyler's case with impartiality, attorney Mark R. McDonald says in the Aug. 13 motion. He wants Oyler's case sent to another, unspecified county.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin, the lead prosecutor in the Oyler case, said Thursday that his office will contest the motion. He declined comment on its merits.
