Prosecutors have rejected allegations that the evidence gathered in the quadruple murder case at the University of Idaho in 2022 was obtained improperly and requested to be disregarded during the trial.
The Idaho Statesman reported that Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and state attorneys claimed that the trove of evidence against Bryan Kohberger should not be suppressed as it proves his guilt. In their dozen briefs, prosecutors cited DNA evidence and digital information recovered from several of Kohberger’s devices.
Though most of the briefs were sealed, prosecutors also defended searches of Kohberger’s car, person, and homes, claiming they were legal.
“[The] burden of proof is on the defendant to show that the search was invalid,” they wrote, per ABC News.
In September, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Boise, in Ada County. The trial’s venue was changed after the state supreme court upheld a ruling identifying publicity and media attention concerns that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Further, the courts noted that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.
Kohberger, a former Washington State University student, is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, at an off-campus home near the school.
Kohberger’s attorneys have claimed Kohberger was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone the night Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, and Kaylee Goncalves were fatally stabbed at the women’s off-campus home on November 13, 2022.
Mogen was found dead in bed next to Goncalves, and a knife sheath was reportedly discovered near their bodies. Downstairs, on the second floor, Kernodle was found slain next to Chapin, her boyfriend. Two surviving roommates discovered the bodies and called the cops.
Police claimed Kohberger visited the area 12 times before the slayings and that he turned off his phone on the night in question.
Investigators tested DNA from a trash can outside Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania against DNA found on the sheath at the crime scene. Testing determined that “at least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”
At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was obtaining his Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University, which is located 10 miles from the crime scene. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022, after taking a cross-country road trip with his father from Washington to Pennsylvania.
Latah County will cover financial costs related to the high-profile trial even though it will take place in Ada County. Kohberger’s trial is set to begin in July 2025.
[Feature Photo: Ada County Sheriff’s Office]
