MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — There was a shakeup in the criminal case against Edward Wackerman, the man accused of starting the Oak Fire in 2022, this week. A judge moved the case from Mariposa County to Fresno County.
“That was my motion to change the venue,” defense attorney Ric Squaglia told Action News. “I didn’t think we could get a fair jury out of Mariposa County.”
The ruling came down on Monday after Squaglia stated in court that he had concerns about the jury pool in Mariposa.
“The Oak Fire had just a horrendous impact on the county itself,” Squaglia said. “A lot of people were impacted.”
For 43 days, the Oak Fire raged, burning over 19,000 acres and destroying 127 homes.
It forced 6,000 of Mariposa County’s 17,000 residents to evacuate.
“I think it’s pretty safe you’re going to find a jury that is going to be fair and impartial and not know anything at all about that fire up there,” Action News Legal Analyst Tony Capozzi said.
Logistically, the attorneys and Wackerman are likely to stay in hotels or drive nearly three hours a day. The trial is expected to last between three and six weeks.
“Whenever you move a case from one county to another, it adds a lot of expense to the prosecution,” Capozzi said. “They may end up resolving the case somehow because they don’t want to try it outside the county.”
Mariposa County District Attorney Walter Wall is standing by the case, saying he is ready for a trial.
“I wouldn’t proceed forward with the case unless I was confident in the evidence that I have,” Wall told Action News.
He says that the evidence includes a confession from Wackerman.
However, Squaglia is remaining tight-lipped.
“(Wackerman) adamantly maintains his innocence,” Squaglia said. “I don’t think it’s far for me to holler it from the rooftop.”
Wackerman remains out of custody on an ankle monitor pending the trial. It could begin sometime this summer.
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