Venue change sought for Burgettstown man charged with W.Va. slaying
WELLSBURG, W.Va. (AP) – Attorneys for a Pennsylvania man want his murder trial moved outside of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.
Media outlets report that Rocco Zuccaro’s attorneys say potential jurors have been biased by media coverage of his case.
The 30-year-old resident of Burgettstown is charged in Brooke County with fatally shooting 30-year-old Jason Pratz at Pratz’s home in McKinleyville on Feb. 18, 2013. Pratz apparently was shot to death in the home just outside Wellsburg, and his body was found the following day. Investigators did not release a motive in the slaying or say how the two men may have known each other. Zuccaro, who was reportedly the last person seen with Pratz, was arrested two months after the shooting.
In March, Zuccaro escaped from William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital in Weston, where he was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation prior to the start of his trial. He was found two days later hiding in tall grass in the area of Jane Lew, W.Va., near a natural gas site.
Lt. Michael Baylous, West Virginia state police spokesman, said Zuccaro climbed a 15-foot brick wall, ran across a yard and then climbed over a chain-link fence before running into a wooded area. Investigators were trying to determine if he had any assistance in his escape.
Following his capture, he was moved to a facility in South Carolina.
A judge hasn’t ruled on whether Zuccaro is competent to stand trial.
Zuccaro’s trial is scheduled to begin July 20.