MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP, abc24.com) - A judge has refused to recuse himself from presiding over the trial of a former Middle Tennessee State University student charged with stabbing her roommate to death.
Attorney Joe Brandon Jr., who is representing 19-year-old Shanterrica Madden, accused Judge Don Ash of lacking impartiality in the case, due to ties to the university, according to The Daily News Journal.
Ash said there was no "basis of fact" in the accusations and that recusing himself would destroy the public's trust in the court system.
Brandon also asked for the trial to be moved because of media attention. Ash has not decided on that issue.
Madden, who is charged with first-degree murder, has said she acted in self-defense when she killed MTSU basketball player Tina Stewart during a fight March 2.
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Information from: The Daily News Journal,
http://www.dnj.com
