Judge Ponders 1 Trial For MN Teen In Iowa Killings
ALGONA, Iowa (AP) -- A judge says he'll rule soon on a defense request to merge the trials of a Minnesota teenager charged with killing two convenience store clerks in Iowa.
Kossuth County Judge David Lester heard arguments Tuesday on a motion to combine the trials of 17-year-old Michael Swanson.
Swanson, of St. Louis Park, Minn., is charged as an adult with murder and robbery in Kossuth and Humboldt counties. He's accused of killing a clerk in Algona on Nov. 15, then driving to Humboldt and killing another clerk.
Defense attorney Charles Kenville says it would save the state money and make his case more convenient if the trials were combined. Prosecutors oppose the request, saying the state gets to decide how a case is prosecuted.
Kenville plans to use the insanity defense.
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