Mattapan massacre suspect will have case heard by Worcester County jurors - bused into Boston

A Suffolk Superior Court judge today agreed with Dwayne Moore that it might be difficult for him to get a jury of unbiased peers in Suffolk County for his retrial on charges of slaughtering three adults and a toddler in 2010.

But Judge Jeffrey Locke said Moore's request to have his trial moved to the extreme western part of the state would be unfair to both the tiny courts out there and to all the witnesses, lawyers and family members in the case who would be forced into daily round trips of up to six hours - or to pay for lodging over the course of his trial. And because they're so small, it might be hard to find 16 unbiased jurors - 12 who will decide Moore's fate and 4 alternates - Locke ruled.

Locke's solution: Moore will get jurors drawn from Worcester County, but who will be bused into downtown Boston for trial at Suffolk Superior Court.

In a ruling on Moore's request, released today, Locke agreed the massacre has gotten "intensive and sensational" coverage from the local media, enough for him to consider a change of jury pool. Worcester County's current jury pool is large enough to allow for selection of a jury and busing would make it easier to ensure jurors are not exposed to "extraneous influences" by shipping them out of town at the end of each day.