Judge won’t move Boulder trial for elk killing

A Boulder judge won’t move the trial of a former police officer accused of killing a trophy elk on New Year’s Day and sparking neighborhood outrage and a candlelight vigil for the animal.

The Daily Camera reports that District Judge Patrick Butler declined a request Wednesday from former Boulder police officer Sam Carter to move the trial out of the county. Carter is accused of shooting the elk while on duty.

Carter’s attorney argued that the case had received so much publicity that there’s no guarantee that his client will get a fair jury.

Carter faces nine charges, including four felonies. Fellow former officer Brent Curnow accepted a plea deal Tuesday that sentences him to one year of probation and 60 days of house arrest. Authorities say Curnow picked up the elk’s carcass.