The New York Times-20080126-Judge to Decide 3 Detectives- Fate

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Judge to Decide 3 Detectives' Fate

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The three detectives charged in the 2006 shooting death of Sean Bell will be tried by a judge, not a jury, the judge in the case ruled Friday.

The judge, Arthur J. Cooperman of State Supreme Court in Queens, set a Feb. 25 start date for the trial, later than the original date of Feb. 4.

The detectives -- Michael Oliver, Gescard F. Isnora and Marc Cooper -- requested a bench trial after appeals judges this week denied their request to move the trial out of Queens, where the detectives' lawyers said they could not get a fair trial because of publicity about the case.

Mr. Bell, 23, was killed by police gunfire in a confrontation outside a strip club in Queens on Nov. 25, 2006, the day he was to be married.