Judge In Oakland Journalist Murder Case To Consider Venue Change

OAKLAND (KCBS) - An Alameda County Judge will hear arguments on Tuesday that the trial of two men charged with the murder of an Oakland Post journalist should be moved elsewhere because of prejudicial pre-trial news coverage.

Reporting of the 2007 murder of Chauncey Bailey has - by any account - been robust.

If you Google the reporter's name you'll find 310,000 results, and CBS' 60 Minutes even did a segment.

KCBS' Tim Ryan Reports:

It's alleged that the head of the now defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery, Yusuf Bey IV, ordered the shotgun slaying of Bailey near his downtown office because of reporting that Bailey was doing about the bakery.

UC Berkeley Law Professor Eleanor Swift says the decision rests with Judge Thomas Reardon who's already qualified a large panel of prospective local jurors.

"The judge typically makes an analysis whether the coverage was such, that it is likely of tainting the jury pool," said Swift.

The second defendant is the alleged getaway driver 25-year-old Antoine Mackey.

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