Teton County murder suspect to be tried in Blackfoot

7th District Judge Bruce Pickett has determined that Erik Ohlson could not be guaranteed a fair and impartial trial on first-degree murder charges in Teton County, Idaho. He ordered the venue of Ohlson’s trial changed to Bingham County. The 40-year-old Ohlson was arrested July 5, 2016, for the murder of Jennifer Nalley and her unborn child at her home in Driggs. The judge determined that local news media covered the story in significant detail. Part of that coverage included details of Ohlson’s interrogation with law enforcement and his efforts to suppress a confession to his involvement in her death. In addition to the extensive pretrial publicity, both the state and defendant addressed Teton County’s small population, the number of people and agencies involved in the investigation, and Jennifer Nalley’s employment with the local school district. He noted that Bingham County had a much larger population and is one of the furthest counties from Teton County in the Judicial District. The judge said that although there are similar press agencies in Bingham County, there is no evidence that an impartial trial could not be held there. Earlier, Pickett ruled that Ohlson’s confession would not be admissible in court. A Blackfoot court date has not been set.