University of Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28, pleads NOT GUILTY to murder

The man suspected of brutally stabbing four students to death last November – leaving a place police describe as ‘the worst we’ve ever seen’ – has appeared in court in Moscow, Idaho, where he refused to plead four charges. premeditated murder.

Criminology student Bryan Kohberger, 27, was expected to plead not guilty, but instead chose to use Idaho’s “still” plea, meaning he didn’t plead either way, but could still be tried.

The trial date is set for October 2.

Kohberger should have had a preliminary hearing, but in a surprising twist announced last week, the University of Washington PHD candidate was indicted by an Idaho Grand Jury who heard the evidence in secret and decided to send the case to a full trial to send.

Best friends Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and young couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, died in the horror attack, which was so brutal that blood could still be seen dripping from the walls of their rental home days after the attack . kill.

Police finally arrested Kohberger during a raid on his parents’ home in Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania on December 30 and he was flown back to Idaho on January 4 in a small Pilatus PC-12 turboprop plane.

Since returning to Gem State, the alleged killer has been incarcerated in the Latah County Jail, according to prison sources who tell DailyMail.com he spends his time obsessing over TV coverage of the case and has turned to God-encounter with a local pastor every Sunday.

Monday’s appearance, in which the 27-year-old arrived wearing an orange prison suit and looking pale, is his first appearance since he was formally charged with the murders in early January.

Kohberger sat silently as Judge John Judge read his rights and reiterated that he faces the death penalty if found guilty of any of the murder charges before answering “yes” when repeatedly asked if he understood.

When the four murder charges and one burglary charge were read by Judge Judge, he flipped through his indictment papers and shifted in his chair before his attorney Anne Taylor told the judge that her client would “stand still” if asked to respond. .

The non-plea now means the case will go to trial, with Taylor asking the judge to schedule a six-week trial that now begins Oct. 2.

Madison’s father Ben Mogen and Kaylee’s parents Steve and Kristi watched, both dressed in black, looking sad and serious as their daughters’ names were heard in the packed courtroom.

The November 13 murders shocked the small college town of Moscow, which had not seen a single murder in seven years when Madison, Kaylee, Ethan and Xana were found dead in their beds.

Police initially seemed stunned by the killings, issuing a series of conflicting statements about whether the students were targeted and whether the public was in any danger.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, they released a photo of a white Hyundai Elantra and a plea for more information about the vehicle’s movements and owner.

The car turned out to be Kohberger’s, who was pulled over twice in early December in an extraordinary twist as he drove the vehicle back to Pennsylvania.

Since his arrest, it has been revealed that loner Kohberger had battled heroin addiction in his teens and early 20s and was banned from a bar near his childhood home because of his creepy behavior towards women.

Police sources have since said that after moving to Pullman, Washington, to pursue a doctorate in criminology, he applied for work for the University of Washington Police Department — but was turned down.

Fellow students said he took an unusual interest in the Moscow murder case and described his “sexist” attitude toward women in his classes.

As a result of his “gross behavior” toward women and his penchant for judging them differently, he was fired on Dec. 19 by his WSU criminology department professor John Snyder — just days before his arrest for murder.

Over the weekend, a Dateline report provided further evidence of his bizarre behavior with a friend from WSU, claiming he broke into her home a month before the murders and moved her belongings to make her feel “uncomfortable.”

She also said she asked him to set up security cameras to help her catch the person who moved her belongings – only to realize too late that he was the culprit and, chillingly, had access to the footage.

Kohberger is believed to have meticulously planned the murders of Madison, Kaylee, Ethan, and Xana, with a likely explanation stating that he had repeatedly visited the area around their home prior to the murders.

The document also said his DNA was found on a KA-BAR knife sheath found next to the bodies of Kaylee and Madison, and that he was seen in the house by roommate Dylan Mortensen, 19.

Kaylee and Madison were found dead next to each other in bed, while Ethan and Xana were found on the floor below, while Xana was discovered slumped on the floor of her bedroom.

According to the document, survivors Mortensen and Bethany Funke heard some of what happened, while Mortensen told 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 recorded barking loudly at a neighbor’s security camera. Around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall, bushy-browed man leave through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house.

She described being “frozen with 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 reveals that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was caught on camera near the crime scene before being seen speeding from the home to Pullman at around 4:20 a.m.

Police quickly connected the vehicle to Kohberger and noted the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen’s description of the intruder at the rental home.