Attorneys for a soldier accused of kidnapping, raping and killing a Wilmington woman are asking a judge to transfer him from the maximum-security prison in Smyrna to a prison in Wilmington, where they say he will receive better mental health treatment and will be more accessible.

The judge previously ordered that 26-year-old Dwight Smith be transferred to the medium-security Wilmington prison, but Department of Correction officials objected, prompting a hearing Friday.

DOC officials say Smith has a history of aggression and would present a safety and security risk at Howard Young prison.

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