FARGO - The trial of the man accused in the death of a University of North Dakota student should not be moved to Minnesota, federal prosecutors say.

Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., 53, a convicted sex offender from Crookston, Minn., is charged with kidnapping resulting in the death of Dru Sjodin. He has pleaded not guilty. Trial is set for July 6.

Defense attorneys filed a motion last month to move the trial, claiming surveys prove Rodriguez could not get a fair hearing in Fargo. Minnesota would be "an appropriate alternative venue," defense attorney Richard Ney wrote.

U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley filed papers on Monday opposing the motion, noting that courts do not take public opinion polls seriously. Defense attorneys failed to prove that "such surveys should be accepted as the sole basis for a judicial determination of this constitutional magnitude," Wrigley wrote.

Wrigley said the court already has taken steps to ensure a fair trial, such as starting with a large jury pool, giving more juror disqualifications to defense attorneys, and allowing individual interviews of jurors.

Ney, a death penalty specialist from Wichita, Kan., did not return a phone message on Monday.