I would keep the original venue. The voters there are the most informed, and you want an informed jury in this case. The more informed, the better.
Can the defense still “shop” for jurors for a jury? It seems that there’d be too many there - like in the PSU Jerry Sandusky molestation case jury, from that immediate area - in that town who are prejudiced and influenced. But then, who hasn’t heard of this now-already-infamous case?