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Iowa Judge To Consider Moving Minn. Teen's Trial

DAKOTA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- A judge is considering a request to move the trial of a Minnesota teenager accused of killing two convenience store clerks in northern Iowa.

Seventeen-year-old Michael Swanson, of St. Louis Park, Minn., is charged as an adult with murder and robbery in Kossuth and Humboldt counties. He's accused of killing a clerk in Algona on Nov. 15, then driving to Humboldt and killing another clerk.

The Des Moines Register says during a hearing on Tuesday in Humboldt County, defense attorney Charles Kenville asked that the first of two trials, set for June 20, be moved to eastern Iowa or Council Bluffs, citing extensive publicity. Prosecutors didn't oppose the request.

The judge says he'll rule later, and will weigh the need for a fair jury, cost concerns and transportation.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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