Announcing the arrest of Matthew Macon on August 30, the chief of the Lansing Police Department Mark Alley said, "Today I'm pleased to announce we've arrested a serial killer."

Mayor Bernero added, "The despicable individual for the heinous rampage through our community has been captured. Our nightmare is over."

Matthew Macon's attorney cited those comments Tuesday in his request for a change of venue.

"I think this goes far beyond the things he's charged with and I'm not saying [the media is] not doing your jobs," Mike O'Briant says.

Even before he was charged in court, coverage on the man police call a serial killer has been extensive. The defense is especially concerned about a comment by Michigan State Police Detective Jaime Corona to the Lansing State Journal last month, when he revealed Macon confessed to the murder of LCC professor Carolyn Kronenberg.

"I think its a substantial piece," O'Briant says.

The standard to change the venue--the prosecutor pointed out in court--is high. She argues much of the population hasn't seen or heard the coverage and those that have many be able to put it aside.

It's why Judge William Collette denied the motion, he said, citing the Holland case as an example of a highly publicized case that found a jury in Ingham County.

He promised to revisit it when it's time to find a jury.

The trial is scheduled to begin on January 22. The judge refused today to push that back right now. The judge also ruled against allowing Mike O'Briant to act as a court-appointed lawyer--meaning he'd be paid by the county. He did set aside $3,700 dollars to help pay for an investigator and an DNA expert to work for the defense. The expert O'Briant will hire is Ann Chamberlain. She is the same woman who testified for the prosecution in the Holland trial, and was later fired from the Michigan State Police after testing her husband's underwear to use as evidence in a divorce.