University of Idaho slaying suspect Bryan Kohberger is due in court next week, marking his first court appearance since the venue was changed for his upcoming murder trial.
Kohberger is set to stand trial next June, but Judge James Cawthon said this timeline may change as the case has been moved from Latah to Ada County. Cawthon, the administrative judge, said presiding Judge Stephen Hippler is also set to decide whether the prosecution and defense can attend court hearings virtually, according to KTVB.
“All the time schedules that were laid out in Latah County will have to be reset for hearing in Ada County,” Cawthon explained.
The Idaho Statesman reported that Kohberger is set to appear in a Boise court on Thursday. The hearing will be live-streamed.
READ: New Mugshot of Brian Kohberger Released After Murder Trial Moved to Boise
Before the case was moved to Ada County, Idaho Second District Judge John C. Judge determined that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.
Ultimately, the state supreme court ordered the venue change — amid concerns about publicity and media attention that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Though Kohberger was transferred to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Latah County will cover financial costs related to the high-profile trial.
Kohberger, a former Washington State University student, is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, at an off-campus home near the University of Idaho.
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.
Mogen was found dead in bed next to Goncalves, and a knife sheath was reportedly discovered near their bodies. Downstairs, on the second floor, Kernodle was found slain next to Chapin, her boyfriend. Two surviving roommates discovered the bodies and called the cops.
Police claimed Kohberger 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. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022, after taking a cross-country road trip with his father from Washington to Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors filed court documents detailing their intent to pursue the death penalty as they deemed the slayings were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.” In light of the venue change, Kohberger’s legal team filed multiple motions aimed at sparing him from the death penalty.
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[Feature Photo: Ada County Sheriff’s Office]
