On Wednesday, lawyers for the man accused of killing four University of students asked to delay his trial date due to increased media coverage about the 2022 slaying.
KREM reported that Bryan Kohberger’s attorneys cited a “Dateline” episode about the murders as one of the reasons for the postponement. Trial judge Steven Hippler is still investigating who leaked sensitive details to the media, as he requested lists of people involved in the case from the defense and prosecution.
The Dateline episode, which aired earlier this month, reportedly showed a car circling the same block as the off-campus Moscow home during the early hours of November 13, 2022. The same car was reportedly seen approaching the residence and speeding away 13 minutes later.
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]
