HERMANN — It took 20th Circuit Presiding Judge Craig Hellmann little time to decide where to move the capital murder trial of Kenneth Lee Simpson.

One day after hearing requests to move the trial to either a distant county or an adjoining county, Hellmann opted to keep the proceedings close to home. The trial will be held in Franklin County, keeping it in the 20th Circuit, which also includes Gasconade and Osage counties.

Defense attorney Stephen Reynolds on Oct. 3 cited extensive media coverage of the case in Eastern Missouri and asked that the case be moved to Clay County in Metro Kansas City, or, to Jasper County in Western Missouri. Reynolds and Patricia Poe, both of the Missouri Public Defender’s Offices’ Capital Defense Team, are representing Simpson.

Assistant Attorney General Greg Goodwin, joined by Assistant Attorney General Kelly Snyder, countered that any pre-trial publicity can be alleviated through the jury-selection process and suggested the trial be moved to Franklin County, or, as an alternative, to Warren County or Montgomery County.

At the conclusion of the Oct. 3 hearing, the first time Simpson made a personal appearance in a courtroom since the March 12 shooting that killed Hermann Det. Sgt. Mason Griffith and seriously wounded Hermann patrolman Adam Sullentrup, Hellmann said he would issue a ruling on a trial site within 10 days. As it turned out, he filed an order the next day setting the trial in Union.

The next action in the case is set for Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 9 a.m. at the Franklin County Justice Center for a status hearing.

Last week’s hearing in the Gasconade County courthouse only took about 20 minutes for Hellmann to hear the defense team’s motions for a change of judge and a change of venue. The judge quickly denied the motion to recuse himself and then agreed to consider the request for a venue change.

Simpson was escorted under heavy guard into and out of the courthouse. He was wearing handcuffs and leg irons and was wearing the standard orange jumpsuit issued by the Crawford County Jail. Members of the victims’ families were moved away from the entrance to the second-floor courtroom as Simpson was brought out after the hearing.

Tight security was evident from the outset of the business day at the courthouse. Everyone entering the courthouse — including county government employees who work in the building — were required to pass through the metal detector at the main entrance. Police vehicles blocked off the parking area behind the courthouse during the proceeding.

The construction company employees doing maintenance work to the exterior of the courthouse were given the day off to prevent noise that might disrupt the hearing.