A Dubuque man who was granted a new trial by the Iowa Supreme Court last year is seeking a change of venue for that new trial.
Fontae Buelow, 28, filed Thursday for the change of venue from Dubuque County, saying media coverage of the case has made it impossible for him to get a fair trial there, the Telegraph Herald reported.
Authorities have maintained that Buelow fatally stabbed his girlfriend, 21-year-old Samantha Link of Peosta, on March 31, 2017. Buelow has insisted Link stabbed herself twice in the chest. A jury convicted Buelow of second-degree murder in 2018, but in December, the state Supreme Court ordered a new trial.
The high court agreed with the Iowa Court of Appeals, which faulted the trial judge for not allowing defense attorneys to present information about Link’s mental health records and prior suicide attempt. Buelow’s second trial is scheduled to begin May 25.
