Prosecutors in Idaho are asking for an additional $120,000 for the trial of Bryan Kohberger

Prosecutors preparing for the trial of Idaho murder suspect Brian Kohberger are asking for a dramatic increase in funding to cover trial costs.

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson filed his annual budget request with county commissioners on Tuesday, asking for $135,000 for litigation costs, instead of the usual $15,000 budget, the Lewiston Grandstand reported.

Kohberger, 28, is charged with burglary and four counts of first degree murder in the November murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

The trial begins Oct. 2 and is expected to be long and complex as prosecutors seek the death penalty for Kohberger, a criminology graduate student.

“It’s hard to predict exactly what’s involved,” Thompson said, according to the Tribune. “We know it won’t be cheap.”

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson asked for $135,000 for litigation costs in his latest annual budget request, instead of the usual budget of $15,000

Thompson’s budget request lists potential litigation costs, including reimbursement of expert witnesses, witness travel expenses, transcription and exhibit costs.

Kohberger is being held without bail at the Latah County Jail. At his arraignment in May, a judge entered a plea of ​​not guilty on his behalf after he chose to remain silent in the face of the allegations.

On Friday, he appeared in court in a suit for a gag hearing that largely prohibits lawyers and other parties to the case from speaking to news reporters.

A coalition of more than 30 media organizations has challenged the order, saying it violates constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as well as a lawyer for one of the victim’s families.

But prosecutors and the defendant’s attorneys insist it is necessary to avoid damaging reporting that could harm Kohberger’s right to a fair trial.

“It remains appropriate to have an order reminding attorneys and their agents of the rules of engagement in this country and that we try cases in court, not in the press,” wrote one of Kohberger’s attorneys, Jay Weston Logsdon , in a memo to the court.

University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in an off-campus home in November

Kohberger, 28, is charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in the November murders

Kootenai County Public Defender Anne Taylor leads Kohberger’s defense team

Second District Judge John C. Judge indicated that he would later rule on the gag order and on a separate issue of allowing cameras in the courtroom during further proceedings.

Kohberger was first linked to the case through surveillance footage of a car matching his white Hyundai Elantra, which was seen in the areas of the murders.

Investigators say they also found DNA matching Kohberger’s on a knife scabbard left by the killer at the scene of the murders.

The evidence that can be brought to trial is expected to be formidable.

According to court documents, the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office released 51 terabytes of information on the case to the defense team for discovery.

That material includes thousands of pages of documents, thousands of photos, hundreds of hours of recordings, and gigabytes of phone records and social media data.

Kootenai County Public Defender Anne Taylor leads Kohberger’s defense team.