An Idaho judge broadened a temporary order restricting the release of more crime scene photos but paused the decision on a plea from the slain University of Idaho students’ families. They seek to permanently block even redacted images or videos of the victims and their rooms inside the house.

Earlier this month, Madison Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, requested the court for this injunction after Bryan Kohberger confessed and was sentenced. Letters in support came from Ethan Chapin’s parents and his sister.

Lawyers for Moscow city contend while they agree personally with not releasing the images, legally they act as “middlemen,” navigating laws with limited privacy exceptions.

His initial month in prison has reportedly been tough, with complaints to guards about harassment from inmates, the quality of prison food, and conditions in J Block at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where he’s held for his own safety given his notoriety and consequent vulnerabilities.

Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University in Pullman at the time of the murders. That’s a 10-mile drive from Moscow, Idaho, where the victims were pursuing undergraduate degrees.

Police said they could prove Kohberger had targeted and stalked the house, but they didn’t know whether one or more students had been targeted specifically by the killer, who refused to speak when given the opportunity to at his sentencing. 

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