San Diego

A judge Thursday refused to move the two murder trials of David Lucas to another county because of pre-trial publicity.

Attorneys for Lucas, 31, a Spring Valley carpet cleaner, had argued that the trials, which involve six slayings, should be moved so he can get a fair trial.

Superior Court Judge Franklin Orfield said the publicity since his Dec. 16, 1984, arrest has “diminished dramatically” and there is not a sense of “public outrage” like that seen in other types of high-publicity cases.

“There is really only one prominent victim,” said Orfield, referring to the Nov. 24, 1984, kidnaping of Anne Swanke, 22, whose car was found in La Mesa after she ran out of gas around 1:30 a.m. She was the daughter of a University of San Diego philosophy professor.

Swanke’s body was later found in a remote area of Spring Valley. Her throat had been slashed, as were the throats of the other five victims killed from 1979 to 1984. A $26,000 reward fund was established in Swanke’s name for information leading to the killer.

“There is little name identification to the other victims,” Orfield said.

After the hearing, Alex Landon, one of Lucas’ attorneys, said he may appeal the denial of the change of venue to the state 4th District Court of Appeal.