Attorneys for the man charged with starting the Brian Head Fire last year — which burned through more than 71,000 acres, destroyed 13 homes and cost $40 million to fight — are asking a judge to move the trial to a different county.
Robert Lyman will not receive a fair trial in Iron County, his attorneys argued in court papers, because of “hatred” the rural community has expressed in online comments and social media posts for the Taylorsville man accused of accidentally starting the 2017 blaze.
Lyman’s attorneys, Andrew Deiss and Matthew Kaufmann, further argued in a motion filed last week that the fire affected so many Iron County residents — it’s likely some would have to drive past the damage just to get to the courthouse to report for jury duty — that it would be impossible for him to get a fair trial.