Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, returned to court on Thursday as his defense team seeks to relocate his trial.
Kohberger’s lawyers contend that a fair trial in Latah County, where the killings occurred, is impossible due to a “mob mentality” among potential jurors who have expressed extreme views, including threats of violence if he is acquitted.
In a motion filed last week, Kohberger’s defense cited a survey of Latah County residents, expressing concern that local jurors would be biased against him. Some respondents said they would “burn the courthouse down” or even take matters into their own hands if Kohberger was found not guilty. These findings have prompted the defense to advocate for the trial to be relocated over 300 miles away to Ada County, which is home to Boise, Idaho’s capital and largest city.
Kohberger is charged with the fatal stabbings of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen on November 13, 2022, at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus. The brutal killings shocked the small college town of Moscow and received widespread media coverage.
The defense claims that the intense pre-trial coverage and local outrage will prevent Kohberger from receiving an impartial trial in Latah County. They point to similar high-profile cases, such as those involving Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, where trials were moved to ensure fairness.
Prosecutors, however, dispute the defense’s claims, arguing that media coverage has been widespread across Idaho and that moving the trial would be inconvenient for witnesses and the victims’ families. They also contend that the survey data used by Kohberger’s legal team is flawed and that alternative measures, like screening a large jury pool, could ensure a fair trial without the need for relocation.
Judge John Judge is set to decide on the defense’s request in a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning. The trial is currently scheduled to start in June 2025.
With input from New York Post, CNN and Independent.
