The court trial for a man accused of killing an Iowa State Trooper during a standoff in Grundy Center last year is being moved outside of Grundy County due to pre-trial publicity.

Forty-two-year-old Michael Lang is accused of shooting Sergeant Jim Smith during a confrontation at Lang’s Grundy Center home last April.

A decision has now been made for Smith’s trial to be moved to Hamilton County with the trial set to begin on May  9th in Hamilton County District Court in Webster City.

Lang is charged with murder, attempted murder, and assaulting a police officer.

Smith, a native of Independence, was a 27-year member of the Iowa State Patrol when he was killed on April 9th of last year.