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Moscow, Idaho

T he hearing to decide the change of venue lasts over six hours.

Steve is not hopeful that the trial will stay in Moscow, despite his best efforts to convey his feelings to the judge via Bill Thompson.

The expert witnesses that Anne Taylor produces—who testify that it would be impossible in tiny Moscow to find a fair and impartial jury—seem to speak out of both sides of their mouths, Steve thinks.

“One expert says you can call the jury and they can still remain impartial, and another expert says… you hear something and you can never get it out of your head,” Steve said afterward.

But he’s gotten the impression for months now that Bill Thompson doesn’t really want to run the risk of having a trial in Moscow because of the university. The problem, Steve thinks, is that some of these people seem to put the university first, ahead of the victims. They all went there.

Thompson said in court it would be better to avoid having a trial when students are around. That’s why he wants to have it in the summer. Steve was not pleased when he heard that.

“I mean, that’s kind of a weird way to present four murders to a judge,” he said.

He’s also worried that the university timetable will give Anne Taylor some excuse to push the trial back beyond next summer.

So even though he feels that it should be local and that it will be one heck of an inconvenience for him and Kristi if it gets moved all the way to Boise, he also figures it might not be all bad to get out of the cozy cabal that is Moscow. He’d welcome a new judge.

Today Judge John C. Judge, typically, punts making a decision at the hearing itself. He thanks both sides for their “really solid” arguments. “I would say that professionally this is the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make,” he adds.

On September 6, in the form of a written decision, the bad news arrives.

The judge writes that the defense has met “the rather low standard” of a basis to move venues. It isn’t just that the media storm might have swayed jurors; there are the practical considerations of a tiny courthouse and staff.

The Goncalveses post their reaction on their Facebook page: “The family is incredibly disappointed in the Judge’s ruling granting the change of venue. The only good thing about this decision is it will be Judge Judge’s last decision in this case.”

It isn’t clear for a few days where the trial will be moved.

But on September 12, the Idaho Supreme Court orders it moved to Boise—Ada County—under the jurisdiction of a new judge, Steven Hippler.

Steve says that Judge Hippler is no stranger to capital cases. He’s known to be strict and stern.

Good.