April 1 (UPI) -- Buffalo supermarket gunman Payton Gendron is seeking a venue change to New York City for his federal trial that could result in the death penalty for the racially motivated attack that occurred in 2022.
Gendron, 19, of Conklin, N.Y., in November 2022 pleaded guilty to state charges against him and was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, but the federal trial against him seeks the death penalty.
"Due to the overwhelming amount of pretrial publicity, combined with the impact of this case on Buffalo's segregated communities of color, it is impossible for Payton Gendron to select a fair and impartial jury in the Western District of New York," his attorneys said in the motion for a venue change that was filed Monday.
Gendron admitted to shooting and killing 10 Black people and injuring three others during a racist attack at 2:30 p.m. local time at the Tops Friendly Market at 1275 Jefferson Ave. in Buffalo on May 14, 2022.
He attributed the murders to his beliefs in a "White replacement" conspiracy, fascism and White supremacy.
