Bryan Kohberger Update: Judge Reacts to Request for Trial Delay
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The judge presiding over Bryan Kohberger's case said the trial will likely begin as scheduled after hearing arguments on the defense's request to delay the August start date.
District Judge Steven Hippler has not issued a ruling on the motion yet, instead stating he will take the matter under advisement.
"In the meantime, I fully encourage everyone to continue as if the trial is going to take place when it is scheduled for," Hippler said. "Again, I reserve the right to write the decision that I come to, but as of now, I would tell you that it's likely you're going to trial on the date indicated."
Why It Matters
Bryan Kohberger was charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus residence on November 13, 2022. At the time of the killings, Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University. A plea of not guilty has been entered on his behalf.
Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, enters a courtroom to appear at a hearing in Latah County District Court, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.
Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, enters a courtroom to appear at a hearing in Latah County District Court, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool
The legal case against Kohberger has seen significant media coverage and public interest. The defense cited this in its argument to delay the trial, highlighting several recent and upcoming releases centered around the case.
Hippler is set to oversee the trial, which has been scheduled to begin on August 11, 2025, with jury selection starting in late July.
What To Know
Defense attorney Anne Taylor said a recent Dateline special, along with an upcoming docuseries and book, could complicate jury selection.
"The moment we start attempting to select a jury in this case, those things are going to be on everybody's TV, everybody's social media feed," Taylor said.
Taylor also said some witnesses who are expected to testify in the trial may be featured in the docuseries and noted in the book.
"That is, in and of itself, an exceptional reason for us to have a continuance to let those things play out for a while," Taylor said.
Special deputy prosecuting attorney Joshua Hurwit argued that the decision would put the trial's start date "at the whim of the media."
"Every time there's a breaking story, every time there's a new book or a new documentary, are we going to continue the trial indefinitely?" Hurwit said. "And that seems to be the danger of what the defense is asking for. We call it a perpetual continuance."
Due to extensive media coverage and logistical challenges, including the trial's relocation far from Moscow, Idaho, to Boise, the judge has instituted strict guidelines on courtroom access and electronic device use. One seat will be reserved daily for a pooled journalist from Latah County to share coverage with other outlets, while general attendance will be controlled through an online ticketing system.
If convicted, Kohberger faces the death penalty. Rules for the upcoming proceedings stipulate that the trial will be livestreamed, though close-up shots are prohibited, and video feeds will be cut when surviving roommates testify.
What People Are Saying
Taylor, in court on Wednesday: "Jury selection is going to be particularly challenged, and we'll need a great deal of time based on what's happened in the media and continues to happen."
Hurwit, in court on Wednesday: "We haven't seen a proposal about when this trial could take place if there's a continuance. What seems to be the strategy here is just to delay."
What Happens Next
Hippler is expected to issue a written order featuring his decision at a later date. The trial is currently expected to start on August 11.
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Unidentified DNA from blood found on a handrail inside the home could also be helpful to the defense, to further raise doubt that Kohberger was the killer and suggest investigators did not fully do their job. Cross-examination of the victims' two surviving roommates will likely be aggressive, especially of Dylan Mortensen. Mortensen told police she saw a masked man with 'bushy eyebrows' and wearing all black in their home the night of the killings. Kohberger's defense have painted Mortensen as an unreliable witness whose recollection of the night has been muddied by intoxication and post-event media exposure. Both sides agreed they would not focus on investigative genetic genealogy, the technique that led to the identification of Kohberger as a potential suspect. But in court filings, defense lawyers have floated the idea that the knife sheath found in the Moscow home could have been planted by the real killer. 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