Man charged with killing Deshaun Hill requests new venue after release of documentary

The man accused of fatally shooting a Minneapolis North High School student last year is asking to move his case out of Hennepin County, citing the recent release of the Showtime documentary “Boys in Blue.”

The notice of the planned motion by 30-year-old Cody Logan Fohrenkam comes just days before he’s set to go on trial in the death of Deshaun Hill, Jr.

RELATED: Showtime documentary highlights North High School, Deshaun Hill

Court documents filed by his attorney on Thursday show that Fohrenkam wants his trial moved out of the county and delayed from its scheduled start date of Tuesday because of the “‘reasonable likelihood that a fair trial cannot be had’ due to the prejudicial effects of the recent release of the Showtime documentary series ‘Boys in Blue.'”

The series highlights the North High football team and remembers Hill, the team’s star quarterback who was fatally shot on Feb. 9.

Court documents allege that Hill and Fohrenkam passed each other while walking on Golden Valley Road and possibly brushed shoulders. After that, a criminal complaint alleges that Fohrenkam stopped and fired three shots at Hill before running away.

He’s charged with second-degree murder and could face up to 40 years in jail, if convicted.

“This risk of bias among the jury is highest presently when the documentary is new and still releasing new episodes. Therefore in the alternative, if the Court denies the motion, Mr. Fohrenkam requests a continuance so that the publicity and risk of prejudice due to the ongoing release of the documentary decreases as much as possible,” the filing by Fohrenkam’s attorney says, in part.

The document states that Fohrenkam plans to formally submit the motion Tuesday morning when court convenes for the start of his trial.