Judge denies several motions in Hamad case

WARREN — The judge handling Nasser Hamad's murder case has denied several motions filed by Hamad seeking for the trial to be moved to another county and for the potential for the death penalty to be removed.

Judge Ronald Rice said the issues raised by Hamad and his attorneys regarding the death penalty "have been litigated, and the constitutionality of Ohio's capital components has been upheld on numerous occasions."

The judge also refused to relocate the trial to another county, saying it's premature to seek such a change at this point. The more appropriate time would be when a jury is being selected, he said.

Hamad, 47, of state Route 46 in Howland, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder and several counts of attempted aggravated murder in an incident at his home Feb. 25 in which five people came to his house in an ongoing dispute.