MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA, Ind. — Carl Roy Webb Boards II's is requesting a change of venue for his trial. Boards is the man accused of killing 24-year-old Elwood Officer Noah Shahnavaz.
Boards could end up facing the death penalty. Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said his office consulted with Shahnavaz’s family, along with a group of some of the most experienced prosecutors in the state, as well as appellate lawyers with the state attorney general’s office.
“We had a discussion with the family members for what’s ahead of them, and after speaking with everyone, and my own experience for when that offense should be charged, in the many years that I’ve been doing this, clearly it was the appropriate decision,” said Cummings, also explaining that he’s not sure if the defense will ask to have the trial moved to another county because of the attention the case has received.
“We’ll bring it to the court’s attention so that the defendant can put it on record whether or not that’s what they’re requesting,” Cummings said.
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A Sept. 2 hearing provided an initial timeline of how the proceedings could unfold in the coming months, and to make sure Boards understood the charges against him.
The 42-year-old suspect is facing several charges, among them: murder, resisting law enforcement, and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
Investigators say Boards shot and killed Shahnavaz during an early morning traffic stop in Madison County in late July.
The prosecution asked for a motion to protect details of the case until trial, a gag order of sorts that both sides agreed to in court.
“Part of what we’re doing is trying to keep as much of the information confidential because we don’t want to jeopardize the defendant’s right to a fair trial and the more information that gets out, it makes it more difficult to find people who can be fair and impartial,” Cummings said.
Boards is being held without bail. His trial is set, at this point, to begin Jan. 9.