No Decision On Ritenour Change Of Venue Request

Alicia Ritenour

Oskaloosa, Iowa – As of now, an Oskaloosa mother charged with murdering her daughter in 2014 will face a second trial by jury in Mahaska County in August. Judge Myron Gookin had not, as of press time, ruled on a motion for a change of venue filed by Alicia Ritenour’s attorney, Gina Messemer, seeking to move the trial far outside of Mahaska County.

Messemer alleges that pretrial publicity, as well as public awareness of the facts of the first case, make it impossible for her client to get a fair trial. Messemer filed a motion in February asking that Ritenour’s trial be moved to either Lee County or Clarke County in an effort to find a “fair and unbiased” jury pool for Ritenour’s second trial. As of now, Judge Myron Gookin, who is a candidate for the Iowa Court of Appeals vacancy, has not yet ruled on the matter. Gookin, however, has set trial to begin on August 13, at 9 am in the Mahaska County Courthouse, unless a change of venue is ordered. Gookin heard oral arguments on the merits of a change of venue on March 19.

Alicia Ritenour faces one charge of first-degree murder and one charge of child endangerment resulting in death, all in relation to the death of her child, Ava, in 2014. Ritenour had previously been convicted on both charges, however, Senior Judge Daniel Wilson ordered her to receive a new trial in a December 2018 ruling, after finding that her trial attorney had acted with gross ineffective assistance on several different matters.