Idaho student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger has added one of his own defense expert witnesses to his legal team as he faces charges that could carry the death penalty in connection with the home-invasion murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022.
San Francisco attorney Bicka Barlow, an expert on DNA forensics who testified for Kohberger’s defense during an August 2023 hearing, has been admitted pro hac vice in the case, meaning the judge gave her permission to represent Kohberger alongside his other lawyers even though her license is in California.
Barlow earned a bachelor’s degree in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley, before getting a master’s from Cornell University, according to her website. She then went to the University of San Francisco School of Law.
But the FBI’s use of genealogy databases violated an internal policy, defense witness Dr. Leah Larkin testified at the same hearing. Investigators used at least two databases that were not supposed to be accessed by law enforcement.
Hippler previously ruled that the FBI’s actions did not violate the Constitution or undermine probable cause used to arrest Kohberger.
Kohberger’s trial is expected to begin in August and take up to 15 weeks. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
