The man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students has been booked into the Boise County Jail, where his the trial was moved last week, Ada County data showed on Sunday.
The Idaho Supreme Court on Thursday moved the trial of Bryan Kohberger after his defense attorneys argued that the extensive media coverage and strong emotions in the Moscow, Idaho, community where the killings took place would aggravate the trial. hard to find an impartial jury.
Kohberger is accused of four counts of murderr in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were murdered in the early morning of November 13, 2022.
When Kohberger was asked to enter a plea last year, he remained silent, prompting the judge to enter a plea of not guilty on his behalf.
The new trial in Boise is about 300 miles from Moscow. Prosecutors argued unsuccessfully that they could find impartial jurors in Moscow by selecting a large group. They also told Judge John C. Judge that the move would inconvenience victims’ families, attorneys and witnesses.
Officials have said that Kohberger was traveling through the area the night of the killings, that his DNA was found at the crime scene, and that surveillance footage and cellphone records show that Kohberger visited the area at least a dozen times before the killings.
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Kohberger’s attorneys said in court papers that he was simply out for a drive that evening, something he often does to walk, run or look at the moon and stars.
Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. His trial is scheduled for June 2025.
Earlier this year, Kohberger’s attorney Anne Taylor argued in court that prosecutors withheld information from the defense team, claiming that Latah County prosecutors failed to provide full video that allegedly shows Kohberger’s vehicle at the residence where the four students were killed. Taylor said the defense received only “portions” of the video, which is described in the probable cause affidavit that was used to arrest Kohberger, and said the video had no sound.
Goncalves’ family said they were “extremely disappointed” by the change of venue and that “the only good thing about this decision is that it will be Judge Judge’s final decision in this case.”
“If the judge knew that Latah County could not handle this case due to security, clerk shortages, logistics and space, why did we waste over a year in a county that he knew would not handle the case?” the family said Monday, criticizing several other decisions the judge made during the pretrial process.
Goncalves’ family said in the spring that they were frustrated by the length of time it had taken for the case to move through the justice system.
“This case is turning into a hamster wheel of motions, hearings and delayed decisions,” the family said in a statement.
Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, told “48 Hours” Last year he said there was “evidence she woke up and tried to escape” and that she was “trapped” based on the way the bed was positioned.
