Change of venue denied in Clemson student strangling case

The Associated Press

PICKENS, S.C. --

A judge has denied a request that jurors be chosen from another area in the trial of a convicted sex offender charged with killing a 20-year-old Clemson University student.

The Greenville News reported that Judge Edward Miller denied the motion by Jerry Buck Inman's attorneys during a hearing in Pickens County on Thursday.

Inman is charged with kidnapping, rape and murder in the death of Tiffany Marie Souers.

Souers was found in her off-campus apartment in May 2006. Police said a bikini top used to choke her was still around her neck.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. In September, a judge rejected Inman's request to plead guilty but still have his sentence decided by a jury.