Bryan Kohberger appeared in court on Friday as his legal team asks the judge to delay his trial and order the prosecution to provide information crucial to its case against him.
KSL reported that six motions will be heard at Latah County court. The defense is also expected to explain why they should not have to tell the prosecution Kohberger’s exact whereabouts when four University of Iowa students were murdered last year.
Bryan Kohberger walks into court today, smiling slightly. Both sides are arguing several motions ahead of the October trial. Judge does not allow live streaming. We'll post the hearing as soon as possible (today). #Idaho4 #BryanKohberger @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/48zG6k9SnW
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) August 18, 2023
The defense has claimed Kohberger was not at the crime scene, and was driving around alone on the night Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, and Kaylee Goncalves were fatally stabbed at the women’s off-campus home on November 13, 2022. However, police claim he visited the area 12 times before the slayings and that he turned off his phone on the night in question.
Though Kohberger has not waived his right to a speedy trial, his attorneys have filed a motion to stay that would delay his trial past October 2. That motion will be addressed during Friday’s hearing. In July, the judge issued a 37-day stay in the trial, as the defense claimed there were fundamental failures in the grand jury selection process.
Additionally, Kohberger’s attorneys want prosecutors to provide documents involving genetic and genealogical testing, which includes information about samples from “unknown” men mentioned in their reports. The defense also wants all communication between lab staff and anyone else responsible for biological testing, in addition to data related to unexpected DNA results.
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.”
Kohberger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. Prosecutors filed court documents detailing their intent to pursue the death penalty as they deemed the slayings were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.”
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[Featured image: Bryan Kohberger/AP Photo/Matt Rourke, Pool]
