ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri sheriff's deputy accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in 2011 will be tried in suburban St. Louis' St. Charles County.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2tfNKRS ) reports that the venue change for Marvin Rice's case was ordered after a Missouri Court of Appeals judge intervened in settling a dispute over where the proceedings would be held.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 49-year-old Rice. He's a former Dent County deputy accused of killing 32-year-old Annette Durham and 39-year-old Steven Strotkamp after an argument over the custody of the son Rice and Durham shared.

Rice has pleaded not guilty.

Court records show his trial began in February 2016 in Wayne County after one change of venue, but lawyers couldn't find enough qualified jurors.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com