A Casper man charged with murdering a woman he once dated "adamantly opposed" his attorney's effort to move his murder trial outside of Natrona County, his attorney said Friday.

It wasn't clear why Donald Rolle opposed his counsel's change of venue motion.

But public defender Vaughn Neubauer still asserted at a hearing in Natrona County District Court that pretrial publicity and community reaction to the case will prevent a fair trial if it remains here.

"Casper is just too hot for this trial," he said.

Arguing against a change of venue, District Attorney Michael Blonigen said coverage of the case in local media outlets has not been prejudicial. He also argued community sentiment has focused on the larger issue of domestic violence, rather than the specific case against Rolle.

"Is there some county where the people approve of domestic violence?" Blonigen asked. "That seems to be what the defense wants."

The change of venue motion was one of 21 considered by District Court Judge Thomas Sullins during the day-long court hearing. Sullins did not make an immediate decision on whether he'd move the case.

Rolle's trial is set to begin July 7.

He is accused of murdering Jennifer Randel, 40, a Casper woman whose badly beaten body was found inside his pickup on Nov. 4 along a remote road west of Casper.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Rolle. His attorneys filed several motions asking Sullins to throw out the death penalty, but Sullins on Friday denied each one argued before him.

Rolle, 47, appeared in court wearing an orange jail uniform and shackles. As the hearing went on, he took notes and occasionally spoke with his attorneys.

Rolle appeared to have an animated conversation with Neubauer after the attorney argued for moving the trial. When it was over, Neubauer reiterated that his client opposed the change of venue motion and said Rolle wanted to address the court.

Rolle told Sullins that he had wanted his attorney to file a motion in January asserting his right to a speedy trial. Rolle seemed frustrated as he referred to comments made in court regarding the logistical challenges of moving the case, while still allowing for a speedy trial.

"I don't know where to go with this," Rolle said.

Rolle also spoke to the court in regard to a defense motion to prevent letters he wrote from jail from being presented at his trial. His attorneys argued the letters should be excluded because jail staff had gone through Rolle's correspondence seeking evidence, rather than for security purposes.

Jail staff began copying Rolle's outgoing letters after Rolle was overheard on a jail house phone call telling someone that he would write about the offense.

Rolle said some of his legal notes disappeared for two days while he was undergoing medical care. He did not specify the subject of the notes.

Neubauer argued his client had a limited right to privacy, even in prison. Blonigen countered that there is no such right in a jail setting.

Sullins denied the motion. Even after an entire day of arguments, the judge still has more than 10 motions to consider on a range of subjects, from witness statements to whether certain evidence should be allowed at trial.

He will consider them at a June 13 court hearing.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.

NewsTracker

Last we knew: Attorneys for Donald Rolle, a Casper man charged with murdering a woman he once dated, asked that his trial be moved outside Natrona County.

The latest: District Court Judge Thomas Sullins considered that request, along with 20 others, during a day-long court hearing.

What's next: Sullins will consider more motions on June 13 in preparation for Rolle's trial, which is set to begin July 7.