SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - A Sioux City man charged with stabbing a man to death during an argument last year will have his new trial moved out of Sioux City.
The Sioux City Journal reports (https://bit.ly/2jLlP99 ) that a judge granted 48-year-old Elias Wanatee’s request for a change of venue, citing pretrial publicity. The judge said he would choose by Monday where Wanatee’s new trial, set to begin Feb. 28, will be held.
Wanatee’s first trial ended in a mistrial in December after jurors said they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict.
Wanatee is charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 17, 2016, stabbing death of 50-year-old Vernon Mace, who was stabbed nine times.
There were no eyewitnesses, and police never found the weapon.
Defense attorney Jason Dunn has suggested that Wanatee acted in self-defense.
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Information from: Sioux City Journal, https://www.siouxcityjournal.com
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