Bryan Kohberger, who has been charged with the brutal killings of four University of Idaho students last November, is set to appear in court on Thursday, October 26. Kohberger and his defense counsel previously filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, alleging a biased jury and a lack of evidence.
The alleged killer will appear in court twice on the same day for two hearings. The first hearing will occur at 9:30 a.m., closed to the public. He will reappear in court for a second hearing at 1 p.m. that will be open to the public. Both hearings are to address the grand jury indictment from May.
Bryan Kohberger’s defense wants the murder indictment thrown out
According to KING-TV, court documents noted that Bryan Kohberger and his defense specified that a “biased grand jury, inadmissible evidence, lack of sufficient evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct in withholding exculpatory evidence” were the grounds for the first, sealed hearing. The second, open hearing will include “error in grand jury instructions” as grounds to dismiss the indictment.
The defense further stated their wishes to either have the indictment thrown out or have a preliminary hearing in its place. Police arrested the suspected killer in December 2022 from his family’s Pennsylvania home. Since his arrest at the beginning of this year, he remains in custody at the Latah County Jail.
Bryan Kohberger allegedly stabbed four University of Idaho students to death in an off-campus home on November 13, 2022. The victims were Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen.
NPR reported that Idaho authorities discovered a DNA sample on a leather knife sheath that they found in one of the victims’ beds. This sample appears to closely resemble Kohberger’s DNA. The 28-year-old was a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University. He now faces four counts of first-degree murder charge, along with one count of felony burglary.
