Man accused of college student’s death wants trial moved

AUBURN, Neb. (AP) - A man accused of killing a Peru State College student wants his trial moved away from Nemaha County in southeast Nebraska.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 37-year-old Joshua Keadle’s attorney argued in court Friday that pretrial publicity and local conditions make it impossible to empanel a fair jury. Keadle’s pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the disappearance and presumed death of a 19-year-old Peru State College student, Tyler “Ty” Thomas.

The judge will rule on the motion in the coming weeks.

Thomas disappeared Dec. 3, 2010, after leaving a party near the campus. The state issued a death certificate for Thomas in 2013, even though her body has never been found.

Keadle is serving prison sentence for the 2008 rape of a 15-year-old girl.

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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com