Legal experts warn case against Idaho suspect Bryan Kohberger isn’t ‘open and shut’
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Legal experts have warned that the case against alleged Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger is not easy, even though authorities discovered his DNA at the scene.
Kohberger, 28, was arrested December 30 after weeks of a detailed investigation by police in Moscow, Idaho and the FBI.
His DNA was discovered on the button from a knife sheath left at the crime scene along with the bodies of Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogan.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahamani believes that Kohberger’s defenders will not pursue an insanity defense because of his record as a “scholar.”
Kohberger, 28, was arrested December 30 after weeks of exhaustive investigation by police in Moscow, Idaho and the FBI.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahamani has said that the case against Kohberger is not a piece of cake
The trial attorney said: ‘The murder case against Bryan Kohberger is not a piece of cake. Kohberger’s attorney will most likely argue that he did not do it, rather than present an insanity defense.
‘He had enough accomplishments as a scholar to become a Ph.D. student and showed no evidence of mental illness prior to the stabbings, so there would be little justification for his defense to argue that he is incompetent to stand trial.
Authorities have Kohberger’s DNA on the knife’s sheath, but the DNA evidence can be transferred from person to person to an object so the evidence isn’t flipped open and closed for a conviction.
Prosecutors do not have the murder weapon, have a rather vague description of the suspect from an eyewitness, and lack a clear motive.
“If I were the district attorney, I would certainly like much more than the evidence that has emerged so far, especially if prosecutors are going to pursue the death penalty.”
It comes after the family of one victim, Kaylee Goncalves, said they would support the death penalty in the case against Kohberger.
Former Los Angeles County prosecutor Joshua Ritter believes the DNA and other corroborating evidence makes a “very strong case” against the alleged killer.
The cops detail his every move on the day of the murders, aided by surveillance footage of his car and cell site data from his phone. Kohberger allegedly watched the property twelve times prior to the murders.
Police believe that Kohberger deliberately tried to hide his location during the murders.
Her father Steve said his vision of “justice” is not “being in a prison cell”, with her mother adding that she “wished Kaylee and Maddie were doing life sentences” because it would mean they could talk to them.
Rahamani added: ‘The prosecutors will continue to build the case, so I don’t think they will take the death penalty off the table.
“It will be difficult for Kohberger’s defense to reach a viable deal with prosecutors, so this case will most likely go to trial.”
Former Los Angeles County prosecutor Joshua Ritter, a partner at El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, believes the DNA and other corroborating evidence makes a “very strong case” against the alleged killer.
He said: ‘I can’t imagine this is a case where prosecutors won’t seriously consider the death penalty.
“In that scenario, the only way Kohberger would accept a plea deal would be if prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. But it’s a little early to talk about plea deals at this point.
Kohberger even returned to the scene of the crime at 9 a.m. on November 13, just hours after he allegedly committed the quadruple murders. In the photo: Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen
Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger smiles at his lawyer in court when denied bail. Kohberger will return to court on January 12
“This is one of those watershed cases where you have four young, good-looking, completely innocent victims in a small community who were horribly stabbed to death.
“If this had taken place in a large metropolis like Los Angeles or New York, it would still have received attention, but the fact that this took place in a small community seems to have added to the intrigue surrounding the murders.”
Kohberger previously insisted that his attorney in Pennsylvania would be “exonerated.”
It comes as police sources say the alleged killer was seen taking out trash wearing surgical gloves multiple times at his parents’ home.
The officers were tasked with tracking down Kohberger so they could arrest him as soon as a warrant was issued, as well as trying to seize an item to compare DNA with a sample found at the scene.
The house in Moscow, Idaho. Explosive documents reveal how police were led to suspect
Kohberger was seen cleaning the interior and exterior of his car, with a police source adding that he didn’t “lost an inch.”
Police saw him several times outside his parents’ Pennsylvania home wearing surgical gloves.
He was also seen cleaning the interior and exterior of his car, with the source adding that he didn’t “lost an inch.”
Kohberger was also reportedly seen taking the trash out to his neighbor’s bins around 4 a.m., and the offices recovered the contents.
he compared the DNA found in the pod to Kohberger’s by comparing it to his father’s DNA, which had a 99.9998 percent match.
The white Hyundai Elantra is one of the things that helped police track down the suspected killer, as well as obtain his phone records.
He appeared in court yesterday charged with all four murders as well as felony robbery after being extradited to Idaho.
The criminal justice graduate only spoke to confirm his name and that he had representation during a hearing in Moscow, Idaho, on Thursday.
A police-issued timeline indicates Kohberger managed to break into the home and kill all four victims in a 15-minute period, before his car was seen speeding on surveillance footage.
Phone records show that Kohberger approached the property just five hours after the murders took place, with his phone turned off during the time of the murders.
He is also charged with stalking students and visiting the property or area at least 12 times prior to the Nov. 13 killings.