The trial of quadruple homicide suspect Bryan Kohberger in the deaths of four University of Idaho students has been delayed.
The 29-year-old former criminology professor will now face murder charges for the November 2023 slayings of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in a Boise courtroom beginning July 30, 2025, nearly two months since the trial was initially scheduled to begin, according to the Tri-City Herald.
Jury selection will begin July 30 and the criminal trial will begin August 11. The process is expected to last until November 7.
The revised trial date appears to represent a compromise between two options that Ada County Judge Stephen Hippler presented at a hearing last month: May 2025, which prosecutors favored, and September 2025, which was the preference. of the defense. reports the Idaho Statesman.
The judge had to reschedule the high-profile trial after the state Supreme Court agreed to move it 300 miles from the small town of Moscow, Idaho, where the vicious murder occurred, to the state capital, Boise.
Bryan Kohberger, 29, will face four counts of murder in a Boise court on July 30, 2025.
He is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at his off-campus home in November 2023.
Kohberger’s defense attorneys had argued that extensive media coverage and strong emotions in the college town would make it difficult to find an impartial jury as prosecutors seek the death penalty.
Prosecutors, however, argued that they could find impartial jurors in Moscow if they presented a large pool to choose from. They also said that the measure makes the victims’ relatives, lawyers and witnesses uncomfortable.
They have claimed that Kohberger’s DNA was found on the sheath of a Ka-Bar knife found at the victim’s off-campus home, although the murder weapon has never been found.
Officials also said cell phone data and surveillance placed Kohberger’s car at the crime scene, although the defense has disputed those claims.
Instead, the defense claimed that Kohberger was miles from the off-campus house where the students were murdered, and in an official alibi from May 2024, they claimed that Kohberger was “driving alone” on the night of the murders “to watch the moon and stars.’
Kohberger maintains his innocence since his arrest in December 2023
Kohberger, who has maintained his innocence since his arrest in December 2022, made his first court appearance in Boise two weeks ago.
At the hearing, Hippler said he was “happy to be here,” but added: “I hope that at all times you will be courteous to each other, that you will not engage in personal attacks, ad hominem attacks, that you will not engage in theatrics, that you will not misrepresent facts or the law in court.
The stakes in the case are “as high as possible,” Hippler added.
Kohberger is due back in court on November 7.