Trial Scheduled for Suspect in Murder of Four Idaho College Students: Key Information You Should Know
A judge this week refused to dismiss essential evidence against the individual charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students near the campus two years ago. This ruling paves the way for Bryan Kohberger’s murder trial to commence this summer.
Here’s what you should know about this shocking case:
What Is the Case?
Kohberger, 30, faces four counts of murder linked to the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves, who were found dead in the early hours of November 13, 2022, at a rental property in Moscow, Idaho. Autopsy reports indicated that all four victims were likely asleep during the attack; some exhibited defensive wounds, and all were stabbed multiple times.
The graduate student in criminal justice was apprehended in Pennsylvania weeks after the incident. Investigators connected his DNA to genetic material retrieved from the sheath of a knife discovered at the rental home.
When prompted to enter a plea last year, Kohberger remained silent, leading the judge to record a not-guilty plea for him.
The murders deeply unsettled the tight-knit farming community of about 25,000 residents, which had not seen a homicide in approximately five years. Concerns from the defense regarding the fairness of a trial in the county where the murders occurred resulted in the trial being relocated from rural northern Idaho to Boise.
Bare spots are seen in the snowy parking lot in front of the home where four University of Idaho students were found dead in Moscow, Idaho in this picture on Nov. 29, 2022. Ted S. Warren/AP Photo
What Happened This Week?
On Wednesday, Judge Steven Hippler dismissed claims by Kohberger’s defense team that law enforcement breached the defendant’s constitutional rights by utilizing a method known as Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) to identify potential suspects.
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The defense argued that authorities failed to obtain warrants to analyze the DNA located at the crime scene, nor did they obtain warrants to investigate the DNA of potential relatives submitted to genealogy databases. Consequently, they contended that the court should disallow the IGG identification along with any evidence stemming from it. Judge Hippler declined this motion to dismiss the evidence.
This ruling eliminated what could have been a significant obstacle for the prosecution before the trial kicks off.
What Is Known About the Suspect?
Kohberger was pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, located approximately nine miles west of the University of Idaho. He obtained an associate of arts degree in psychology from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania in 2018, and DeSales University in Pennsylvania confirmed that he earned a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed his graduate studies in June 2022.
What’s Next?
Prosecutors have indicated that they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is found guilty during the trial scheduled to begin in August.
The judge has also issued a gag order on all parties involved in the trial and has banned cameras from the courtroom.
