Former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling has requested that his criminal trial, now scheduled for Houston, be moved out of state. Ex-Chairman Kenneth Lay, who originally was seeking a separate trial, joined in the motion because prejudice in Houston was “so extensive, pervasive and profound,” according to court documents filed Monday.

According to the court filing before U.S. District Court Judge Sim Lake, Skilling and Lay are requesting their trial be moved to another metropolitan area, such as Phoenix, Denver or Atlanta. Houston residents “have a personal, emotional, and economic stake in this case resulting from Enron’s dramatic rise and fall,” said the filing by Skilling’s lead attorney, Daniel Petrocelli.

The lawyer said that the co-defendants have been compared in Houston media reports to Satan, Al Qaeda, Adolph Hitler and O.J. Simpson.

Petrocelli argued that in a survey, nearly one in three Houston residents used negative statements to describe Skilling, which is nearly three times the percentage of negative comments from residents of the other cities. Also, he wrote that Enron’s bankruptcy cost thousands of Houstonians their jobs or pensions, hurt real estate prices and damaged local charities.

Lay, Skilling and former Chief Accounting Officer Richard Causey are now scheduled to be tried together in Houston sometime next year. Causey also was expected to seek a change of venue for the trial. Lay joined in Skilling’s motion after first requesting a trial in front of a judge and not a jury.

©Copyright 2004 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.