An Idaho judge granted a request from Bryan Kohberger, a suspect in the murder of four college students, to have his trial moved to another venue due to concerns of prejudice.
Idaho Second District Judge John Judge, in a ruling unsealed Monday, agreed with arguments that the local community in Moscow, Idaho, is prejudiced against Kohberger in the 2022 slayings of four college students. Judge did not say to which location the trial would be moved.
The judge said he was concerned about Kohberger’s ability to receive a fair trial at the Latah County courthouse in Moscow due to extensive media coverage of the case as well as statements by public officials suggesting Kohberger’s guilt.
Judge also noted that the local courthouse isn’t large enough to accommodate the case and that the county sheriff’s office doesn’t have enough deputies to handle security.
“It is undisputed that there has been significant media coverage in this case throughout the State and nationally,” the judge wrote. “While some of the coverage has been neutral reporting of the Court proceedings, much of the coverage has been sensationalized and prejudicial to Kohberger.”
Over the past several months, the judge added, he’s considered the “legal and logistical concerns” of such a trial that could draw significant national attention.
“Based upon the totality of the factors, Defendant’s Motion for Change of Venue is granted,” Judge wrote.
Kohberger’s defense team sought the change, saying strong emotions in the close-knit community and constant news coverage will make it impossible to find an impartial jury in the small university town where the killings occurred. Prosecutors argued that any problems with potential bias could be resolved by simply calling a larger pool of potential jurors and questioning them carefully.
Defense attorneys had asked the judge to move Kohberger’s trial to Boise, the Idaho capital and the state’s largest city. The previous trials of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, who were accused of murder in a high-profile murder case, were also moved to Boise.
“Thus, the interest of justice requires that the trial be moved to a venue with the resources, both in terms of personnel and space, necessary to effectively and efficiently handle a trial of this magnitude and length so that the parties and the Court can focus on the case and not on peripheral issues,” the judge said.
Kohberger, 29, who attended a college in Washington state, faces four murder counts in the killings of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Morgen, and Xana Kernodle. They were likely killed during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Their bodies were found in a home near the University of Idaho’s campus, officials have said.
Kohberger, a former criminal justice student, was arrested more than a month after the killings at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, where he was spending his winter break. He has been in the Latah County Jail since January 2023 as he awaits trial.
