The defense attorney of an Iowa City man charged with first-degree murder submitted a motion for a change of venue, according to the Iowa courts website.

Defense attorney Quint Meyerdirk filed the motion Oct. 3 in the first-degree murder case of Eric Osborn.

Osborn, 28, was charged in March 2010 after allegedly striking and strangling his live-in girlfriend, Sarah McKay, after a night of gambling, drinking, and marijuana use. He told police he killed her because he didn’t want her to suffer.

The hearing on the motion will occur Oct. 21 at the Johnson County Courthouse. As of Sept. 13, the trial was scheduled to open on Nov. 14.

— by Eric Moore