Bryan Kohberger trial live: Judge halts Idaho hearing after defense shows case’s mass exposure on social media
Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger argue his murder trial should be relocated because potential jurors voiced concerns that the public would ‘burn the courthouse down’ if he is acquitted of murder charges
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An Idaho judge abruptly halted Bryan Kohberger’s hearing on Thursday after an expert witness for the defense showed social media posts in the Moscow courtroom.
Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, was back in court as his defense team fights to relocate his murder trial, arguing a “mob mentality” has formed against him in Latah County.
The third defense witness was Brian Edelman, co-founder of California-based jury consultancy Trial Innovations, who was hired to conduct a survey of prospective jurors in Latah County.
During his presentation, Edelman showed a screen recording of him scrolling through the Facebook post results that appeared when he searched “Moscow murders.”
Kohberger is charged with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were stabbed to death in an off-campus student home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13 2022.
Police said they linked Kohberger to the murders that rocked the college town through DNA found on a knife sheath, cellphone data, an eyewitness account, and his white Hyundai Elantra.
In a motion filed last week, Kohberger’s lawyers surveyed potential jurors in Latah County who said there could be violence in the local area if he is found not guilty.
Potential jurors said “there would likely be a riot” and “they’d burn the courthouse down”. Prosecutors accused Kohberger’s team of using flawed survey data in its requests to move the trial, and argued the victims’ families will be affected if the case is moved.
Kohberger is set to stand trial in June 2025.
Bryan Kohberger’s defense says trial needs to be moved because of Idaho town’s vicious ‘mob mentality’
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Witness compares media coverage across Idaho counties
Todd Murphy explains to the court that the amount of media coverage of Kohberger’s case was higher in volume in Latah County – where the murders happened – compared to Ada County.
The defense argues the murder trial should be moved to Ada County.
Defense calls first witness
Elisa Massoth, one of Kohberger’s defense attorneys, calls first witness of the day.
Todd Murphy, president of TrueScope, is on the stand.
TrueScope is a media monitoring service.
Hearing for Bryan Kohberger begins
After a 15-minute delay, Bryan Kohberger’s hearing has started.
How to watch the Bryan Kohberger hearing
Bryan Kohberger’s hearing will be livestreamed on Judge John Judge’s YouTube page.
The hearing is expected to begin at 9am local time/12pm EST.
What happened to the Idaho murders house?
There is now an empty lot where the Moscow murder house once stood.
The off-campus home where the four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed was razed on December 28, 2023 during the school’s holiday break.
The demolition began before the sun came up and within two hours, the three-story house was gone.
Some of America’s most notorious murders happened in private homes.
Many were demolished – some have become tourist attractions.
Andrea Cavallier reports:
Murder homes so horrific they were demolished
Some of America’s most notorious murders happened in private homes. Many were demolished – some have become tourist attractions, writes Andrea Cavallier
Kaylee Goncalves’ family asks for prayers ahead of hearing
The family of Kaylee Goncalves shared photos of the slain University of Idaho student on Facebook Thursday morning and asked for prayers as they make their way to Moscow for Bryan Kohberger’s change of venue hearing.
“Please lift us up in prayer today. We are heading down to Moscow for the change of venue hearing. This is a huge day for our family. We are anxiously waiting.”
The defense is seeking to move the trial, arguing a “mob mentality” has formed against him in Latah County.
But prosecutors have argued the families of the students would be unfairly impacted if the case moved elsewhere.
What’s next for Bryan Kohberger?
Following Kohberger’s hearing today, in which the defense will argue its motion for change of venue, several other court dates will take place ahead of the Idaho murders suspect’s 2025 trial.
On November 7, there will be a hearing for the motion challenging the death penalty.
A final pretrial hearing will take place on April 13, 2025.
Kohberger’s trial is set to start on June 2 and go until the end of August. There will be no trial proceedings on June 19 or July 4.
Ex-roommate of Idaho murders victims reveals last text to friends
A former roommate of the slain University of Idaho students spoke out earlier this year about the moment she realized her friends were dead.
Ashlin Couch told KXLY that she moved into the doomed off-campus house on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, in 2020, with her friends Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. She moved out in May 2022 and Xana Kernodle took over the lease.
Six months later, Goncalves, 21, Mogen, 21, Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death inside the student home.
In an emotional interview, Couch recalled the moment that she received an alert about a murder on King Road that continues to haunt her.
She said she sent a final text to Mogen, asking: “Are you okay?” But she never got an answer.
Read more:
Ex-roommate of Idaho murders victims breaks silence to reveal last text to friends
Ashlin Couch moved out of the home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, just months before the murders
The night of the murders
Officials believe the students were killed some time between 3am and 4am on Sunday 13 November 2022.
All four were stabbed to death with an “edged weapon such as a knife”.
There was no sign of forced entry, the door appeared to be unlocked and nothing seems to have been taken.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt said the victims were “likely sleeping” when they were killed, as all four were found in bed, and were stabbed multiple times.
According to the Latah County records, a car appearing to be Kohberger’s vehicle was seen on various surveillance cameras near the students’ home between 3.29 and 4.20am, before appearing once again in Pullman at 5.25 near the WSU campus.
Io Dodds looked back at a timeline of the case last November to mark one year since the murders.
Timeline of the Idaho college murders
One year on from the murders of four University of Idaho students, Io Dodds charts out the entire case
Who are the victims?
Goncalves and Mogen, both 21, were seniors at the University of Idaho and were expected to graduate this year.
At a vigil weeks after the murders, Goncalves’ father told how the two “absolutely beautiful” young women first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.
Kernodle and Chapin, both 20, were juniors at the college and began dating months before their deaths.
Six months after the stabbings, the families of the slain students accepted posthumous awards for their achievements.
You can read more about them below.
Everything we know about the Idaho murders
As Bryan Kohberger prepares to face trial, Andrea Blanco, Rachel Sharp and Sheila Flynn report on the case in small town Idaho that shocked America