WESTON, W.Va. — A defense motion to change the venue for the trial of Lena Lunsford Conaway will be held in Lewis County Circuit Court on Jan. 8.
The court session, which was rescheduled from Dec. 19, will begin at 1:15 p.m. before Chief Judge Jake Reger.
Defense attorneys Tom and Zach Dyer filed the motion, stating Lunsford-Conway could not receive an impartial trial in Lewis County given the general public’s familiarity with the case.
“There seems to be some bias already, so we’re thinking about filing a change of venue, and that would most likely become well before the trial date,” Zach Dyer said after an Oct. 5 hearing in which continuance was granted for the trial.
The 34-year-old former Lewis County resident is charged in the 2011 disappearance and presumed death of her then 3-year-old daughter Aliayah Lunsford.
Police issued a warrant for Lunsford’s arrest last November. She was arrested by local authorities in Pinellas County, Florida, and extradited the next day.