The man accused of killing a University of Vermont student last month is asking a judge to dismiss the charges because an FBI agent wrote an anonymous story about the case that appeared in a Burlington newspaper.
The opinion piece that appeared Wednesday in the newspaper Seven Days described murder suspect Brian Rooney as “evil,” a “sexual predator” and a “two-legged hyena” who preyed on a vulnerable woman. Rooney is accused of killing 21-year-old Michelle Gardner Quinn after meeting her on the street.
The article was written under the byline “anonymous,” but FBI officials say they know who the author is.
Rooney’s attorney says the article is so inflammatory it would be impossible to find an impartial jury.