On Wednesday, the defense attorneys for the man charged with the murder of four University students requested a trial postponement, citing heightened media attention surrounding the 2022 case.
According to KREM, the defense for Bryan Kohberger pointed to a “Dateline” segment focusing on the murders as a reason for the delay. Trial judge Steven Hippler is actively investigating leaks of sensitive information to the media, asking both defense and prosecution to provide lists of individuals involved in the case.
The Dateline episode, aired earlier this month, allegedly detailed a vehicle repeatedly passing the off-campus Moscow residence in the early morning of November 13, 2022. The vehicle was reportedly seen nearing the house and then speeding away after 13 minutes.
The footage will reportedly be shown at Kohberger’s trial, which begins in August.
“Such publicity, especially timed so close to trial, is argued to be highly inflammatory and detrimental to Mr. Kohberger’s right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” Kohberger’s lawyers wrote.
The defense claimed the only solution to “the taint of media exposure” is time.
According to KREM, defense attorneys are also seeking a delay due to how much investigation and preparation is required in this case.
Kohberger, 30, is set to stand trial on August 11 for killing University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, at the women’s off-campus home.
Kohberger’s attorneys have claimed Kohberger was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone the night the four students were fatally stabbed at the women’s off-campus home.
Mogen was found dead in bed next to Goncalves, and a knife sheath was reportedly discovered near their bodies. Downstairs, on the second floor, Kernodle was found slain next to Chapin, her boyfriend. Two surviving roommates discovered the bodies and called the cops.
Police claimed Kohberger visited the area 12 times before the slayings and that he turned off his phone on the night in question.
Prosecutors said Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath located near Mogen and Goncalves’ bodies. The murder weapon has not been found.
Defense attorneys claimed that prosecutors withheld evidence about unidentified DNA samples — including DNA on a glove outside the home which also remains unidentified.
Investigators tested DNA from a trash can outside Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania against DNA found on the sheath at the crime scene. Testing determined that “at least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”
At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was working on his Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University, which is located 10 miles from the crime scene. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022, after taking a cross-country road trip with his father from Washington to Pennsylvania for the holidays.
In September, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Boise, in Ada County. The trial’s venue was changed after the state supreme court upheld a ruling identifying publicity and media attention concerns that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Further, the courts noted that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.
Latah County will cover financial costs related to the high-profile trial even though it will take place in Ada County.
[Feature Photo: August Frank/The Lewiston Tribune via AP, Pool]
