Alleged quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger has his trial date set for June 2025 after years of delays.
The 29-year-old’s grand trial for the murders of four University of Idaho students in November 2022 is expected to last up to three months.
Kohberger, a doctoral student in criminology, learned his trial date Thursday at a scheduling hearing, where his attorney reiterated his request for a change of venue out of fear he would not receive a fair trial.
Kohberger is charged with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at his off-campus home.
Alleged quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger has his trial date set for June 2025
Kohberger is accused of murdering University of Idaho (LR) students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle on November 13, 2022.
Kohberger’s initial trial date was set for spring 2024, however his lead defense attorney, Anne Taylor, has requested extensions and additional hearings numerous times since his arrest, even delaying the offer of his official alibi until May 2024. .
When he finally presented his alibi, prosecutors ripped it apart, as Kohberger claimed he was “driving alone” on the night of the murders “to look at the moon and stars.”
In that alibi presentation, Taylor said he would call an expert in phone data analysis to back up his claims that he was miles from the scene, which is one of the pieces of evidence that prosecutors and the defense have repeatedly clashed over.
At Thursday’s hearing, both sides discussed deadlines for presenting evidence to the court, including what can be used toward his sentencing if he is found guilty.
It comes as Latah County officials say they intend to seek the death penalty if convicted of the gruesome murders.
The off-campus house where the four gruesome murders occurred was demolished in December amid delays, despite calls from the victims’ families to keep it standing.
The way the killer navigated the three-story house to kill the four students, who slept in separate rooms and on separate floors, in the early hours of a November morning has raised questions about his motives and possible knowledge of the layout.
Boyfriend and girlfriend Ethan Chapin (left) and Xana Kernodle (right) were murdered together in bed in the gruesome November 2022 murders.
Families of the victims have shared their frustration at the endless delays. Kaylee Goncalves’ mother (left, with Madison Mogen) said: “It’s heartbreaking to see how slow everything has to go. Why does it have to take so long?”
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest in December 2022, more than a month after the murders that shocked the nation.
The month-long hunt for the suspected killer attracted widespread media attention, and the victims’ families have since used the spotlight to condemn the proceedings against Kohberger.
In December 2023, the victim’s mother, Kaylee Goncalves, said the current process has been “heartbreaking.”
“It’s heartbreaking how slow everything has to go. Why does this have to be so drawn out?” Kaylee’s mother, Krisi, said in an interview with KHQ.
“It’s important, I understand that, but there are facts, we have certain facts, we have certain knowledge. I can’t believe that this works like this.”
Based on cell phone data produced by prosecutors, the route Bryan Kohberger allegedly traveled on the night of the brutal Idaho murders may be crucial evidence in the state’s case against the 28-year-old. In his new alibi presentation, his attorneys say they plan to challenge this data.
Prosecutors allege that surveillance footage showed a white Hyundai matching one owned by Kohberger fleeing the scene of the crime.
In January 2023, investigators were seen removing a bloody mattress from the home where four University of Idaho students were murdered.
The scenes inside the house were so gruesome that blood dripped down the outside of the property’s wall, in what investigators described as the worst crime scene they have ever seen.
Detectives found the sheath of a Ka-Bar knife on the bed with the bodies of Mogen and Gonçalves. DNA from the sheath was later statistically matched to Kohberger’s using genealogical testing.
In December, Idaho officials again came under fire after the off-campus house where the four students were stabbed to death was demolished, against the wishes of the victims’ families.
Although both the prosecution and defense agreed to take it down, the families opposed it, as Goncalves’ loved ones feared the move would “destroy one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case.”
Before it was demolished, the scenes inside the house were so gruesome that exclusive DailyMail.com images showed blood seeping through the outside of the home.
When he was arrested, prosecutors cited partial DNA matches found on the sheath of a Ka-Bar knife found in the home. No murder weapon has ever been found.
In a continuing exchange of evidence in court (which also includes cell phone data and surveillance allegedly from Kohberger’s car at the crime scene), the defense claimed that prosecutors have not turned over what they could present in court.
Taylor filed a motion last month to compel the defense to do so, and the defense responded that they were restricted by some federal laws because of the FBI’s involvement in the case.
The defense also moved to dismiss the entire case, claiming he was indicted by a biased grand jury and that the case was tainted by prosecutorial misconduct and the admission of invalid evidence. The motion was denied.