DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A judge Friday morning approved a motion by the defense attorneys for Othal Wallace to move the location of his murder trial and push back its date. Wallace was accused of fatally shooting Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor, who succumbed to his wounds 55 days following his encounter with Wallace.
Wallace's attorneys asked Judge Raul Zambrano to change the venue of the trial to somewhere not in Volusia County, on account of widespread public awareness and opinion about the case. This could, in the views of the defense, lead to difficulty assembling a truly impartial jury.
The defense also asked Judge Zambrano to delay the trial until October of this year in order to review new information. It was originally slated to begin in July. The judge agreed to delay it, but only to September.
Judge Zambrano also agreed to research a new venue for Wallace's trial. The defense requested Alachua County be considered, while prosecutors argued that it should stay in the 7th Judicial Circuit, naming St. Johns County as a potential option.
Wallace is said by police to have shot DBPD Officer Jason Raynor in the head on June 23rd, 2021 as Raynor was responding to a suspicious incident. He passed away later that summer from his wounds.
Meanwhile, a massive manhunt immediately began after the shooting of Raynor, leading to Wallace's arrest a few days later in Georgia.
