Bryan Kohberger faces key Idaho murders trial hearing on witnesses with intimate personal details testifying

Daily Mail​

9 hours ago

A key hearing is set to play out in a courtroom in Pennsylvania today to determine whether several major figures from Bryan Kohberger 's past life will be ordered to testify in his capital murder trial.
The accused killer's former boxing coach, a man who worked at a local auto shop he used, and a fellow student at a school the suspect once attended are among a group of five Pennsylvanians summoned to appear in Monroe County Court Monday morning.
All five have been called as witnesses for the defense when Kohberger goes on trial for the murders of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen.
The 30-year-old criminology PhD graduate is accused of breaking into an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022, and killing the four victims in a stabbing rampage.
Two other roommates were inside the home at the time of the attack but survived, calling 911 after finding one of their friend's bodies hours later.
Following six weeks of terror in the close-knit college town, Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022 at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania - where he had returned for the holidays.
Kohberger grew up in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania, before moving to Washington state - just over the border from Moscow - in June 2022.
Now, more than two years on from his arrest, his trial is finally set to begin in August.
The motive for the murders remains a mystery and the suspect has no known connection to any of the victims.
But, the defense looks to be delving into his upbringing and life prior to the murders to try to save him from the death penalty - and potentially the firing squad.
According to court documents, seven known individuals living in Monroe County have been issued with subpoenas to appear as witnesses in Kohberger's trial in Idaho.
Five of these individuals have been ordered to appear at Monday's hearing to show why they should not be called to testify in the high-profile trial.
Among the five individuals is Jesse Harris who works at a boxing gym where the suspect used to train.
The 30-year-old suspect used to box every day at the gym, according to a 2015 job application previously reported by Fox News.
Ralph Vecchio, who worked at the auto shop Kohberger often used, and a man named Brandon Andreola have also been summoned to appear.
Also on the list is William Searfoss, who works as a prison guard at the Pennsylvania jail where Kohberger was taken in the immediate aftermath of his arrest.
Kohberger was held at Monroe County Correctional Facility for five days from his December 30, 2022, arrest before he was extradited to Idaho on January 4, 2023.
It is not clear if Searfoss - a corrections officer at the facility - had interactions with Kohberger during his time behind bars at the jail.
The fifth witness is Anthony Somma who, based on a Facebook profile, appears to have attended the Monroe Career & Technical Institute.
Kohberger also attended the school on its youth law enforcement program.
But he was kicked out of the program following complaints from a group of female students, former high school administrator Tanya Carmella-Beers has previously revealed.
Carmella-Beers told The Idaho Massacre podcast in 2023 that Kohberger took the law enforcement program 'extremely seriously' and that he 'wanted law enforcement more than anything else in the world.'
Carmella-Beers would not divulge the exact details of the complaints made by the female students, saying only: 'A complaint was made, and the teacher reported it to me, and said, 'You know, this is not something we can have.
'An investigation needed to be conducted. Other students were interviewed. Bryan was interviewed. And there comes a time when decisions have to be made, whether it's the decision the student wants or not.'
After being removed from the program, Kohberger transferred to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning course instead.
It is not clear if Somma was also on the law enforcement course - or if his witness testimony relates to the incidents on the program.
Two others - Ann Parham, who was an advisor at Kohberger's school, and a mystery witness named Maggie Sanders - had also been summoned for the hearing.
But, last week, Parham reached an agreement to testify in the trial, canceling her appearance at the hearing.
Sanders, meanwhile, will appear at a hearing on July 7 instead.
DeSales University Professor Michelle Bolger - who taught the accused quadruple killer on his criminal justice Masters degree - was also initially summoned before her name was removed on a later filing and replaced with Andreola.
Bolger previously revealed her surprise over the allegations against her former student, telling DailyMail.com in the days after his arrest she was 'shocked as s**t.'
'I'm shocked as s**t at what he's been accused of. I don't believe it, but I get it,' she said.
'He's a brilliant student,' she added at the time.
The individuals will not be required to attend every day of the trial, the subpoenas reveal.
The exact purpose and nature of the testimony of the Pennsylvania witnesses is not yet clear.
But, Idaho Judge Steven Hippler's rulings ordering them to appear describe each of them as 'a material witness' in the case.
A separate court order - denying the defense's motion to delay the trial - also revealed that some of the individuals have been interviewed by the defense as they seek to establish Kohberger's 'life story' ahead of the potential penalty phase.
If convicted of the murders, Kohberger's team will present mitigating factors to the jury to argue he should be sentenced to life in prison rather than death.
As part of their preparations, Judge Hippler revealed that defense experts had already carried out interviews with two of Kohberger's fourth grade teachers, his former boxing coach, a psychologist who evaluated him in 2005, a former coworker, a family friend and his former professor and advisor at DeSales University.
Kohberger's family members have also been interviewed and his education, mental health and medical history have also been explored.
Other witnesses expected to testify in the trial are the victims' surviving roommates - Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke.
Mortensen came face-to-face with a masked intruder inside the student home moments after the murders took place.
The DoorDash driver who delivered food to Kernodle minutes before the murders has also said she is expecting to testify at the trial.
Bodycam footage shows the 44-year-old woman telling police during a traffic stop in Pullman, Washington, last year that she 'saw Bryan' outside the house that night and would be appearing at the trial.
But, other than these individuals, the witnesses remain a mystery.
Judge Hippler has sealed both the prosecution and defense's witness lists, keeping the details of who will be called to testify under wraps.
On Thursday, the judge dealt a series of blows to Kohberger's defense, denying both his last-ditch request to delay the trial and his efforts to point the finger at four alternate suspects.
In a scathing order, the judge blocked the defense from presenting evidence alleging that four mystery individuals - and not Kohberger - could be the real killer or killers.
Judge Hippler said that the evidence against the four alleged alternate suspects was 'entirely irrelevant' and that the attorneys had not shown a 'scintilla of competent evidence connecting them to the crime.'
The judge added: 'At best, Defendant's offer of proof can give rise to only wild speculation that it is possible any one of these four individuals could have committed the crimes.'
While the order was redacted to conceal the identities of the individuals named as apparent alternate suspects, it was revealed that three of these individuals knew one or more of the victims.
The fourth was not known to the victims, but had a 'passing connection' to either Kernodle, Mogen or Goncalves around five weeks before the murders.
Now, after more than two years of legal wrangling, delays and the trial being moved, jury selection is scheduled to begin August 4, followed by opening statements August 18.
Kohberger stood silent at his arraignment, with a judge entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.