The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022 has asked the Idaho Supreme Couty to review a trial ruling denying their request to toss a grand jury indictment.
According to KTVB, Bryan Kohberger’s attorneys confirmed during a February 28 hearing that the matter had been introduced to the state Supreme Court, which did not provide a timeline for when it would make a decision. Defense attorneys reportedly approached the Supreme Court in early February regarding the issue.
In October, trial Judge John Judge denied two of Kohberger’s requests to have the grand jury indictment dismissed. Kohberger’s previous request to appeal the matter to a higher court was also rejected.
On multiple instances, defense attorneys have sought to have Kohberger’s indictment dismissed — claiming the grand jury used the wrong standard of proof because they were given incorrect instructions, and the grand jury was biased because prosecutors withheld evidence that would have supported Kohberger’s case.
In January, Kohberger’s attorneys also requested that court proceedings be moved out of Latah County — claiming the case has garnered “extensive, inflammatory pretrial publicity” which would make it impossible for their client to have a fair trial there. They also asserted that selecting an impartial jury in Latah County would be impossible for the same reasons.
The court has not yet scheduled a trial date. However, the judge has scheduled an April 17 hearing to hear arguments about moving the high-profile trial out of the county.
Kohberger’s attorneys have claimed Kohberger was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone 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.
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 obtaining his Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University, which is located 10 miles from the crime scene.
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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[Feature Photo: Bryan Kohberger/August Frank/The Lewiston Tribune via AP, Pool]
