The judge also rejected Marsh's request for indigent status that would have required the government pay for his defense.

Bodiford previously said that if he denied the change of venue request the jury would be selected elsewhere. His ruling said he would consult with other judges before deciding where to pick a jury.

Bodiford has said the trial would not start before March 1.

Marsh, 30, pleaded innocent to 179 counts of abuse of a body and 47 counts of making false statements. He withheld pleas on burial service fraud and theft, and remains free on house arrest bond.

When investigators first searched the crematory property on Feb. 15, 2002, they found bodies spilling out of a storage shed and scattered around the crematory building and surrounding woods.

Marsh is charged in Tennessee with abuse of a corpse. He is accused of transporting bodies to the crematory and returning to Tennessee funeral homes what were purported to be cremated human remains.

Hundreds of people are suing Marsh for failing to perform cremations.

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