SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — A judge has granted an automatic change of venue to a man accused of kidnapping and killing an 11-year-old girl last year.

Lawyers for 30-year-old Thomas J. Leggs Jr. of Salisbury made the request to move his trial in Wicomico County Circuit Court on Thursday. The request was automatically granted because prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.

Leggs, a registered sex offender, is charged with first-degree murder and numerous other offenses in the death of Sarah Haley Foxwell. She was kidnapped from her Salisbury home on Dec. 22; her body was found Christmas Day.

The location and date of Leggs' trial have not been determined.

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Information from: WBOC-TV, http://www.wboc.com/