During an early May hearing, Bryan Kohberger’s defense suggested the involvement of “alternate perpetrators” in the quadruple murders, a claim not uncommon in legal defenses where individuals aim to shift suspicion.
At a pretrial session on May 15, Judge Steven Hippler indicated that Kohberger’s defense had filed a document pointing to another possible suspect. Kohberger is facing charges of first-degree murder for the deaths of four University of Idaho students, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on November 13, 2022.
Although Judge Hippler has not yet decided if Kohberger’s defense can argue the “alternate perpetrators” theory during trial, he has requested additional evidence to substantiate their theory.
Former federal prosecutor James Trusty told Fox News Digital the strategy isn’t necessarily a “full-throated defense” but rather a strategy used to create reasonable doubt within the jury.
Jeffrey MacDonald was accused of murdering his pregnant wife and two daughters on Feb. 17, 1970, according to the News & Observer.
Colette Stevenson MacDonald, 26, along with the couple’s two daughters, Kimberley, 6, and Kristin, 2, were stabbed and beaten to death at their home located on the Fort Bragg Army base in North Carolina. Jeffrey MacDonald had several stab wounds.
MacDonald allegedly told Army investigators at the time that his family was killed by a group of hippies, which included a woman in a floppy hat. The woman, according to MacDonald, chanted, “Acid is groovy, kill the pigs.”
MacDonald was indicted on three counts of murder by a federal grand jury in January 1975, but the trial didn’t start until 1979. He was found guilty of first-degree murder for his wife’s death and two second-degree murders for the deaths of his daughters. He was sentenced to three terms of life in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
