Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger says he will be lynched if acquitted, begs judge to move trial

Bryan Kohberger, accused of quadruple murder, returned to court Thursday as his lawyers argue for a change of venue before his trial.

The 29-year-old criminology professor is accused of murdering four University of Idaho students at their off-campus home in November 2022, and the case has since been subject to numerous delays and postponements.

At his hearing Thursday, Kohberger’s attorneys argued that he would not receive a fair trial in Latah County, where the killings occurred, and said residents would react violently if he were acquitted.

While the long-awaited trial is scheduled to begin on June 2, 2025, the victims’ families have condemned the proceedings as just the latest in a series of revised dates that could be postponed again.

Although the quadruple murders captured national attention and have since become a focus of true-crime fascination, Kohberger’s attorneys argued that Latah County juries would be biased.

In a legal filing, they said that “prospective jurors who have been exposed to prejudicial pretrial publicity enter the courtroom with case-specific knowledge gleaned from the media, social media, and discussions with friends, family, and coworkers.”

‘Uncovering the full extent of jurors’ specific knowledge and opinions in high-profile cases can be extremely difficult.’

To bolster its arguments for a change of venue, the defense said it conducted a telephone survey of residents that found more than 98 percent were aware of the case and 67 percent believed Kohberger was guilty.

However, prosecutors responded that “the change of venue is not going to solve any of these problems.”

“The state’s position on venue is that the case should be tried here. It’s a Latah County case. We believe we can select an appropriate jury panel from Latah County,” Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said at an earlier hearing.