A judge denied a motion to change the venue of the trial for a man accused of starting a fire that killed a San Antonio firefighter.
Attorneys for Emond Johnson, who faces murder and arson charges stemming from the 2017 gym fire that killed San Antonio firefighter Scott Deem, had requested the trial be moved from Bexar County because of the amount of media coverage the case has received in the area, KSAT-TV reports. But in denying the motion Wednesday, Judge Jefferson Moore argued that Johnson would still be able to get a fair trial in the county.
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Deem was one of the firefighters who responded to a May 18, 2017, strip mall fire that is believed to have started at Spartan Box Gym, which Johnson owned. While conducting a search-and-rescue operation, Deem and another firefighter, Brad Phipps, became trapped inside the gym. Deem died in the blaze, and Phipps suffered injuries that left him permanently disabled.
Johnson is accused of intentionally the fire at the gym in order to get of his lease.
