Venue Request Hearing Pushed Back

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A hearing on whether former police chief Celeste Murphy can have her criminal trial moved out of Hamilton County has been delayed.

The hearing, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, has been reset for July 29. 

Murphy is asking the court for a change of venue, arguing that extensive media coverage surrounding the case would make it difficult to seat a fair and impartial jury in Hamilton County.  

Murphy resigned as Chattanooga’s police chief in June 2024 after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into questions surrounding her residency. 

A Hamilton County grand jury later returned a 17-count indictment charging her with official misconduct, perjury, forgery, false entries in governmental records, false entries on election documents, and illegal voter registration. 

Murphy has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the court will now consider her request to move the trial before proceedings continue.