A trial date has been set for next summer in the quadruple-murder case against Bryan Kohberger, charged in the 2022 slayings of University of Idaho college students.
Judge John Judge of Latah County in Idaho set Kohberger’s trial date for June 2, 2025, following a scheduling hearing on Thursday. The court expects the trial to run until August 29, 2025.
Kohberger, 29, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one county of felony burglary in the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. The four victims were found dead at their off-campus home near the college on November 13, 2022.
Defense attorneys for Kohberger are pushing to have the trial moved out of Latah County. A hearing on the motion was set for August 29. Judge wrote in his order on Thursday that a venue change would not impact the trial start date for next June.
The judge also set a deadline of September 5 for defense team challenges to the use of the death penalty in sentencing. Under state law in Idaho, the punishment for first-degree murder is either life in prison or death.
Any responses from prosecutors regarding challenges to the death penalty are to be turned in by October 10. A hearing on the motions will be held at 10 a.m. November 7 PDT.
During Thursday’s hearing, Judge appeared ready to proceed with litigation, telling the courtroom, “We’re getting to a point of diminishing returns.” The hearing was wrapped up within 15 minutes.
Prosecutors had originally sought to go to trial this summer, although Kohberger’s attorneys argued that the timeline was not possible due to the complexity of the case.
Judge last month held two hearings on motions from Kohberger’s attorneys regarding evidence that was used by prosecutors to arrest their client in December 2022. The defense has accused state prosecutors of withholding the evidence—such as cellphone tower data and other information—and argues that it should be made available through the discovery process.
State prosecutors have been ordered to finish their discovery process by September 6. Kohberger’s team was given a deadline of January 9, 2025. A hearing on motions to suppress any evidence in the case was scheduled for February 6, 2025.
Kohberger was arrested six weeks after the killings, on December 30, 2022, at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. The suspect was a criminal justice Ph.D. student at Washington State University—less than 10 miles east of the University of Idaho—at the time he was charged.
Under a 2023 gag order issued by Judge, attorneys, law enforcement and others related to the case are not permitted to speak to the press.
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