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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
The ruling came down on Monday after Squaglia stated in court that he had concerns about the jury pool in Mariposa.<\/p>\n
“The Oak Fire had just a horrendous impact on the county itself,” Squaglia said. “A lot of people were impacted.”<\/p>\n
For 43 days, the Oak Fire raged, burning over 19,000 acres and destroying 127 homes.<\/p>\n
It forced 6,000 of Mariposa County’s 17,000 residents to evacuate.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Mariposa County District Attorney Walter Wall is standing by the case, saying he is ready for a trial.<\/p>\n
“I wouldn’t proceed forward with the case unless I was confident in the evidence that I have,” Wall told Action News.<\/p>\n
He says that the evidence includes a confession from Wackerman.<\/p>\n
However, Squaglia is remaining tight-lipped.<\/p>\n
“(Wackerman) adamantly maintains his innocence,” Squaglia said. “I don’t think it’s far for me to holler it from the rooftop.”<\/p>\n
Wackerman remains out of custody on an ankle monitor pending the trial. It could begin sometime this summer.<\/p>\n
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