CINCINNATI -- The judge in Ray Tensing's retrial has issued a gag order in the case.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Leslie Ghiz signed an order Wednesday barring the defense and prosecution teams from talking about the case with media.
"In light of the unprecedented and extensive media coverage in the ... case, this protective order is intended to prevent media coverage of statements that might unfairly influence the potential jury pool and the outcome of the case," her order states.
Last month, jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict on either charge filed against the former University of Cincinnati police officer -- murder and voluntary manslaughter -- for killing motorist Sam DuBose during a traffic stop in July 2015.
Judge Megan Shanahan declared a hung jury and a mistrial.
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Prosecutor Joe Deters said issues of race, DuBose's criminal background and lifestyle (he had 13 kids by at least seven women) "absolutely crept into the jury room" even though Shanahan banned testimony about DuBose's criminal and health records.
He suggested he might seek to move the trial elsewhere -- perhaps Cleveland or Columbus -- to improve the chance of finding jurors who haven't been exposed to the deluge of media coverage the case has received here.
But for now, the retrial is still set to be held in Hamilton County beginning May 25, 2017.
WCPO will update this story.
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Get complete coverage of the Tensing case at wcpo.com/TensingTrial.
