Bryan Kohberger trial live: Judge halts Idaho hearing after defense shows case’s mass exposure on social media
Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger argue his murder trial should be relocated because potential jurors voiced concerns that the public would ‘burn the courthouse down’ if he is acquitted of murder charges
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An Idaho judge abruptly halted Bryan Kohberger’s hearing on Thursday after an expert witness for the defense showed social media posts in the Moscow courtroom.
Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, was back in court as his defense team fights to relocate his murder trial, arguing a “mob mentality” has formed against him in Latah County.
The third defense witness was Brian Edelman, co-founder of California-based jury consultancy Trial Innovations, who was hired to conduct a survey of prospective jurors in Latah County.
During his presentation, Edelman showed a screen recording of him scrolling through the Facebook post results that appeared when he searched “Moscow murders.”
Kohberger is charged with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were stabbed to death in an off-campus student home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13 2022.
Police said they linked Kohberger to the murders that rocked the college town through DNA found on a knife sheath, cellphone data, an eyewitness account, and his white Hyundai Elantra.
In a motion filed last week, Kohberger’s lawyers surveyed potential jurors in Latah County who said there could be violence in the local area if he is found not guilty.
Potential jurors said “there would likely be a riot” and “they’d burn the courthouse down”. Prosecutors accused Kohberger’s team of using flawed survey data in its requests to move the trial, and argued the victims’ families will be affected if the case is moved.
Kohberger is set to stand trial in June 2025.
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What time is Bryan Kohberger’s hearing today?
Kohberger’s hearing is scheduled to take place today at 9am local time (12pm ET), according to a court documents.
Judge John Judge is due to preside over the hearing which will where the defense will argue its motion for change of venue.
It was originally due to take place in June, but was pushed back two months.
Victim’s family speak out ahead of today’s hearing
The family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four murdered University of Idaho students, has spoken out ahead of today’s hearing.
Her family said they are “sick” with anticipation about the change of venue hearing.
Prosecutors have argued the families of the students would be unfairly impacted if the case moved elsewhere.
Trial date set for summer 2025
Kohberger’s trial date has faced many delays.
It was initially scheduled for October 2023 but postponed indefinitely when Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial.
Then, in late, December that year prosecutors submitted a request for the high-profile trial to begin in the summer of 2024, but it was delayed again.
The trial has finally been set for June 2025.
Both the prosecution and the defense agreed that it’s reasonable to set the trial during the summer when school is on break because of the proximity of Latah County Courthouse to the local schools.
Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
Bryan Kohberger became a household name across America when police swooped on his parents’ home in December 2022 and arrested him for the murders.
Kohberger was a PhD criminology student at Washington State University.
He has been accused of stabbing to death Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus student rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.
He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.
People from Kohberger’s past have built a picture of a bullied loner who overcame addiction. Meanwhile, fellow students from his time just over the Idaho border into Washington describe a criminology zealot who “creeped people out”.
With the 29-year-old now facing the death penalty in the case, The Independent asks: Who really is Bryan Kohberger?
Sheila Flynn reports.
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
Speculation and rumour have swirled in the months following Bryan Kohberger’s arrest, as conspiracists and armchair detectives paint all manner of pictures of the accused killer. But who really is the former PhD student? Sheila Flynn reports
Site where murders took place stands empty
The site of where the murders took place was demolished in December last year.
On the eve of the hearing, Brian Entin, of NewsNation, went to the house where Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed.
Some of the victims’ families opposed the demolition at the time, calling for the house to be preserved until after Kohberger has been tried.
Prosectors oppose the motion to relocate trial
Prosecutors oppose the motion to move Kohberger’s trial out of the county where he’s accused of having killed the four University of Idaho students in 2022.
They take issue with moving the trial to Ada County, home to Boise, over 300 miles away from Latah County, where the killings occurred.
The prosecutors said the court should “decline to relocate itself, the state, and scores of witnesses hundreds of miles only to face another jury pool with similarly high media exposure.”
Prosecutors added in the filing that Kohberger’s team had used flawed survey data in its requests to move the trial, and that the interest of justice for the families of the dead students would be impacted if the case moved elsewhere.
What to expect from today’s hearing
Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger today will fight for his trial to move from Moscow in Latah County to the state’s capital in Boise, or another large city in Idaho.
They argue a “mob mentality” has formed against him in Latah County after surverying potential jurors, and allege he would not receive a fair trial.
In a motion filed last week, Kohberger’s lawyers said their survey revealed there could be violence in the local area if he is found not guilty.
Potential jurors said “there would likely be a riot” and “they’d burn the courthouse down”.
Andrea Cavallier has the details.
Kohberger’s defense says trial needs a new venue because of town’s ‘mob mentality’
Kohberger is set to stand trial in 2025 for the slayings of four University of Idaho students in November 2022