Rabbi`s Retrial Set

The re-trial of a prominent rabbi accused of arranging his wife's murder will be held in Monmouth County, an area similar in demographics to Camden County and out of the Philadelphia media market, a judge said Friday.

Superior Court Judge Linda G. Baxter said she looked at all of the counties in southern New Jersey also, but found they were either not similar enough to Camden County or were covered by the Philadelphia media.

Baxter declared a mistrial last year in the case of Rabbi Fred Neulander after jurors could not reach a verdict. She said it would be impossible to find an impartial jury here because of extensive publicity surrounding the case.

Prosecutors claim Neulander had his wife Carol killed in November 1994 so he could carry on an affair with a former Philadelphia radio host. Neulander has pleaded innocent.

He could be sentenced to death if found guilty. Jury selection is expected to begin in August.

At a separate hearing Friday, a defense lawyer was asking a judge to have Neulander moved to another jail. Michael E. Riley has asked that Neulander be moved from the Camden County Jail to the Burlington County Jail so he can have more time to confer with him and prepare for the retrial.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP