Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger could go on trial next summer as prosecutors push for six-week hearing after judge denied his repeated requests to throw out his case
Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger could finally stand trial this summer, with prosecutors pushing to set a date and expecting it to last six weeks.
In the latest trial in the case that has captured the nation's attention, prosecutors also requested Thursday that the trial be held outside the academic calendar of area schools.
The filing notes that the Moscow High School is directly adjacent to the courthouse and that media attention to the case has already “put pressure on available parking, safety and convenience for pedestrians, including students.”
Furthermore, it points out that Kohberger's legal team had enough time to provide an alibi and failed to do so, asking the judge to consider the case closed and setting deadlines for both sides to complete discovery and finalize the preliminary claims.
“The State offers the defendant the opportunity to disclose an alibi and inform the State that this alibi has been assumed, and requests that the Court not reopen this matter,” the filing said.
Idaho murder suspects Bryan Kohberger could finally stand trial this summer as prosecutors have asked a judge to set a date and say they expect it to take six weeks
The former criminology doctoral candidate is accused of fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on Nov. 13. Victims (L-R) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders) Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle
Prosecutors also requested a hearing from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., saying it is “appropriate to allow jurors some time to conduct their personal affairs.”
Kohberger's trial was scheduled for October 2, but was postponed after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
Prosecutors' filing comes days after Judge John C. Judge denied Kohberger's second attempt to have the capital murder case dismissed.
Kohberger's attorneys filed a motion earlier this year asking the judge to dismiss the charges. They argued in part that the jury was biased, that jurors were given inadmissible evidence and that they did not apply the proper legal standard when deciding whether to file charges.
The defense also previously revealed that they would dispute the idea that Kohberger's DNA was left on the knife sheath at the scene, and also claimed that DNA from three other unidentified men was also found at the crime scene in Idaho.
They are also demanding more information about how the FBI used DNA to create family trees that led them to Kohberger and his father before an early morning arrest in Pennsylvania nearly a year ago.
Kohberger was arrested about 2,300 miles from the crime scene in Pennsylvania. He went to college in nearby Washington state
It's been more than a year since students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were brutally murdered in their off-campus home.
Kohberger, a former PhD student in criminology at nearby Washington State University, was arrested on December 30 during a raid on his parents' home in Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains.
Detectives relied on genetic genealogy to build their case against him, using genetic genealogy to create a DNA profile from the DNA left in a knife sleeve at the scene.
The FBI tracked down Kohberger by tracing his distant relatives through genetic genealogy databases – and then secretly collected a sample of his father's DNA to confirm his identity.
Police say they also compared Kohberger's DNA to the knife sheath after his arrest.
Investigators also pieced together cellphone data and surveillance footage that they say links Kohberger to the killings.
Investigators reportedly compared the DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath to that of Kohberger. Pictured is a similar Ka-Bar seven inch hunting knife
It comes as family members protest the impending demolition of the house where he allegedly committed the murders
Last week, Kohberger's legal team gained access to the off-campus house where the deaths occurred so the lawyers can collect photos, measurements and other documentation before the house is demolished on December 28.
The lease was donated to the university by its owner in the aftermath of the murders and President Scott Green has stressed the need to demolish it, calling it a “stark reminder of the horrific act that took place there.”
“While we appreciate the emotional connection that some of the victims' family members have to this home, it is time to remove it and allow the collective healing of our community to continue,” he said.
Judge Judge entered a plea on Kohberger's behalf earlier this year, and Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson has said he plans to seek the death penalty.