Prosecutors asked the court on Wednesday to present a photo Bryan Kohberger took hours after four University of Idaho students were murdered in 2022, claiming the image matches a witness’ description of the killer.
One of the surviving roommates who was home when the quadruple slayings transpired reportedly described the suspect as being, tall, slender, white, and having “bushy eyebrows.” Police later showed her Kohberger’s mugshot, but she said she was unsure whether he was the killer, according to KXLY.
The roommate also said the perpetrator was wearing all black and a mask.
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Kohberger’s attorneys have asked the court to bar the term “bushy eyebrows” at trial. They claimed the witness told police that she had been drinking and her memory was fuzzy. They also denied claims that Kohberger has bushy eyebrows, according to KXLY.
In turn, prosecutors want to show Kohberger’s selfie to jurors so they can decide for themselves.
“Whether or not Bryan Kohberger can be described as having ‘bushy eyebrows’ is a factual determination to be decided by the jury,” they wrote, per WFIN.
A judge is expected to rule on this matter next month.
Kohberger is set to stand trial on August 11 for killing University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, at the women’s off-campus home.
Kohberger’s attorneys have claimed Kohberger was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone the night the four students were fatally stabbed at the women’s off-campus home.
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.
Prosecutors said Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath located near Mogen and Goncalves’ bodies. The murder weapon has not been found.
Defense attorneys claimed that prosecutors withheld evidence about unidentified DNA samples — including DNA on a glove outside the home which also remains unidentified.
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 working on 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 for the holidays.
In September, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Boise, in Ada County. The trial’s venue was changed after the state supreme court upheld a ruling identifying publicity and media attention concerns that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Further, the courts noted that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.
Latah County will cover financial costs related to the high-profile trial even though it will take place in Ada County.
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[Feature Photo: Latah County prosecutor]