Lawyers representing Bryan Kohberger have been given access to the home where he is accused of killing four University of Idaho students.
The former criminology doctoral candidate is suspected of fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, at their off-campus home on Nov. 13, 2022.
Kohberger has been held in the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho, since January awaiting a trial – which was postponed after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
His lawyers were given access to the murder scene on King Road on Thursday and Friday as they prepared their case. The defense indicated that it wanted to take photos, make measurements and possibly collect drone images.
The university announced that the house will be demolished on December 28 because it serves as a “stark reminder of the horrific act that took place there.”
Lawyers representing Bryan Kohberger have been given access to the home where he is accused of killing four University of Idaho students.
The former criminology doctoral candidate is accused of fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, at their off-campus home on Nov. 13. Victims (L-R) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders) Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle
The university announced that the house will be demolished on December 28 as it serves as a 'stark reminder of the horrific act that took place there'
It is unclear whether the lawyer's visit to the house will delay the demolition of the house.
Kohberger's trial has no definitive start date.
The visit comes after the FBI gained access to the home in October to gather additional evidence and take precise measurements of each room for 3D modeling to present to the jury.
Ownership was donated to the university in early 2023 and the intention was always to demolish it.
“While we appreciate the emotional connection that some of the victims' family members have with this home, the time has come for its removal and for our community's collective healing to continue,” President Scott Green said in announcing the demolition.
Criminal defense attorney Jack Rice argued that Kohberger's defense team could argue that the off-campus property where the murders occurred was a wild party house where many students would go.
Kohberger's attorneys were given access to the murder scene on King Road on Thursday and Friday as they prepared their case
“While we appreciate the emotional connection that some of the victims' family members may have with this home, the time has come for its removal and for our community's collective healing to continue,” President Scott Green said in announcing the demolition .
Kohberger has been held in the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho, since January, awaiting a trial that was postponed after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
“One of the most important parts of this case is that DNA, and what we know is that this is a party house,” Rice said in a new documentary clip obtained by The New York Post.
'We know there are hundreds of children in this house, he could even be among them.
“And the point is, if he was in this house, are you suggesting that these four know everyone who has been there? I doubt that.'
“Suddenly you may have a completely different trial,” he added in the documentary The Case Against Bryan Kohberger, which airs on Court TV on Sunday.
Last year, police found a knife shell with Kohberger's DNA on it next to the victims' bodies.
But the suspect's defense team could argue that because hundreds of students may have partied at the house before, his DNA could have been there before the murders, Rice said.
The defense previously revealed they would dispute the idea that Kohberger's DNA was left on the knife sheath at the scene.
They also claim that DNA from three other unidentified men was also found at the crime scene in Idaho.
Neighbor Jeremy Reagan claimed there were “people in and out of the house all the time.”
But he added that the parties had slowed down before the killings took place.
“There was more going on there, but they certainly weren't as loud and crazy,” Reagan said.
Kohberger's legal team has hinted that he has an alibi, but has not yet revealed what it is.
Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted if his case goes to trial
The way the killer navigated the three-storey house in the early hours of a November morning to kill the four students – who slept in separate rooms and floors – has raised questions about his motives.
Last year, police found a knife shell with Kohberger's DNA on it next to the victims' bodies
“Evidence showing that Mr. Kohberger was at a location other than the King Road address will be disclosed in accordance with the rules of discovery and evidence,” his lawyer Anne Taylor said in July.
It is believed that Kohberger meticulously planned the murders of Madison, Kaylee, Ethan and Xana, with a probable cause statement noting that he had repeatedly visited the area around their home before the murders.
The document also stated that his DNA was found on a KA-BAR knife sheath found next to Kaylee and Madison's bodies, and that he was seen in the house by roommate Dylan Mortensen, 19.
Kaylee and Madison were found dead in bed next to each other, while Ethan and Xana were found on the floor below, while Xana was found slumped on the floor of her bedroom.
According to the document, survivors Mortensen and Bethany Funke heard some of what happened, with Mortensen telling police she heard Goncalves say, “There's someone here” around 4 a.m.
Ten minutes later she heard a thud and a cry from Xana's room and a man's voice saying, “It's okay, I'm going to help you.”
At 4:17 a.m., a dog was captured loudly barking on a neighbor's security camera.
Around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall man with bushy eyebrows exit through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house.
She described how she was 'frozen in shock' when the black-clad man walked up to her and said she locked herself in her room after he left.
A shoe print was later found outside her door.
The affidavit also shows that Kohberger's white Hyundai Elantra was captured on camera near the scene before speeding away from the home toward Pullman around 4:20 a.m.
Police quickly connected the vehicle to Kohberger, noting the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen's description of the intruder in the rental home.