OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered a single trial for a former doctor in two sets of double slayings in Omaha.
Anthony Garcia had sought separate trials in the slayings of four people with ties to an Omaha medical school. The attacks occurred in 2008 and 2013.
But on Tuesday Judge Duane Dougherty of Douglas County District Court declined the defense request and ordered one trial. It is scheduled to begin on Sept. 14.
Defense attorneys Bob and Alison Motta of Chicago had said that trying the cases together could unfairly sway jurors.
But a major piece of prosecutors' case is Garcia's and the victims' links to the Creighton University pathology department. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine has said the cases are inextricably intertwined.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.