The man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students has been booked into jail in Boise, where his trial was moved last week, Ada County records showed on Sunday.
Idaho’s Supreme Court on Thursday moved the trial of Bryan Kohberger after his defense attorneys argued that extensive media coverage and strong emotions in the community of Moscow, Idaho, where the killings occurred, would make it difficult to find an impartial jury.
Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were killed in the early morning of Nov. 13, 2022.
When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger stood silent, prompting a judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
The new trial venue in Boise is about 300 miles from Moscow. Prosecutors unsuccessfully argued they could find impartial jurors in Moscow by bringing in a large pool to choose from. They also told Judge John C. Judge the move inconveniences the family members of victims, attorneys, and witnesses.
Officials have said that Kohberger traveled in the region the night of the killings, that his DNA was found at the crime scene, and that surveillance video and cellphone data shows Kohberger visiting the area at least a dozen times before the killings.
Kohberger’s attorneys said in court filings that he was just out for a drive that night, which he often does to hike, run or look at the moon and stars.
Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. The trial is set for June 2025.
Earlier this year, Kohberger’s attorney Anne Taylor argued in court that prosecutors were withholding information from the defense team, claiming that Latah County prosecutors have not provided a full video that allegedly shows Kohberger’s vehicle by the residence where the four students were killed. Taylor said that the defense has only “received parts of” the video, which is described in the probable cause affidavit that was used to arrest Kohberger, and said that the video did not have sound.
Goncalves’ family said they were “incredibly disappointed” in the change of venue, saying “the only good thing about this decision is it will be Judge Judge’s last decision in this case.”
“If the Judge knew Latah County could not handle this trial for safety reasons, not enough court clerks, logistics and lacking space, why did we waste over a year in a county he knew was not going to handle the trial,” the family said Monday, criticizing several other decisions Judge had made throughout the pretrial process.
Goncalves’ family said in the spring that they were frustrated by how long it has taken the case to progress through the judicial system.
“This case is turning into a hamster wheel of motions, hearings, and delayed decisions,” the family said in a statement.
Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, told “48 Hours” last year that “there’s evidence to show that she awakened and tried to get out of that situation,” saying “she was trapped” based on the way the bed was set up.
