BATON ROUGE - The long-awaited trial of two men accused of kidnapping a couple from their home and killing them will not be moved outside East Baton Rouge, a judge ruled.

The decision in appellate court Wednesday was the latest step toward taking Ernesto Alonso and Frank Garcia to trial in the 2015 murders of Denis and Suzanne Duplantier.

Attorneys representing the men had motioned for a change in the trial's location, arguing that news coverage of the killings had made a fair trial impossible. While that request was initially granted, the decision was reversed Wedensday. 

Investigators say the men strangled the victims after getting access to a safe in their home then dumped their bodies and vehicle in Hammond. Alonso had worked for the victims as a handyman and lived on the couple's property.

The pair of suspected killers is due for another court appearance March 23. No trial date has been set at this time.