Latest news with #KohbergerTrial
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Yahoo
Judge says 3 witnesses sought by Kohberger must testify in trial over Idaho students' stabbings
STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge on Monday ordered that three people whose testimony has been requested by defense attorneys will have to travel to Idaho to appear at the trial of a man accused of stabbing to death four college students in 2022. The defense subpoenas were granted regarding a boxing trainer who knew Bryan Kohberger as a teenager, a childhood acquaintance of Kohberger's and a third man whose significance was not explained. The 30-year-old Kohberger, who was arrested at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, weeks after the November 2022 killings, is accused of sneaking into a rental home in Moscow, Idaho, not far from the University of Idaho campus, and attacking Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. The deaths shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University. A prison official came to court with records from Kohberger's stay in the Monroe County Correctional Facility after he was arrested, although the subpoena hearing was continued because he must still provide a statement attesting to their authenticity. Common Pleas Judge Arthur Zulick also continued for a week the hearing regarding a subpoena for Ralph Vecchio, who owns a car dealership where Kohberger's parents purchased a Hyundai Elantra in 2019. There was uncertainty about whether the subpoena was directed at Vecchio or at his father, who owned the business at the time of the purchase. The judge said prosecution witness subpoenas will also be at issue next week. A sixth witness' hearing had previously been rescheduled for next week because of a travel conflict, and the seventh person sought by the defense consented last week to travel to Idaho for the trial expected to begin in August. Brandon Andreola argued unsuccessfully that his subpoena should be canceled, saying he is his family's sole breadwinner and is worried publicity might lead to him losing his job. Andreola said his 'relationship with Bryan Kohberger has been minimal and distant since high school,' with their last 'significant interaction' taking place in 2020, two years before the stabbings. 'If I'm brought out there, I believe the attention will be multiple times greater than the attention that I've received already,' Andreola argued. Jesse Harris said he trained Kohberger as a 15- or 16-year-old at a boxing gym but does not think he has testimony that will help the case. Harris also said a relative's health problems were an issue and he is needed to run a small construction company. Zulick approved the summonses for Andreola and Harris, along with a third one for witness Anthony Somma, who did not oppose it. Zulick said Harris can return to his courtroom if his family member's health issues become a barrier to Harris' ability to travel to Idaho. Kohberger's trial on four counts of murder and one count of burglary is on track to begin Aug. 11 in Boise, Idaho, after a judge declined his lawyer's request for a delay last week. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. In a court filing, his lawyers said Kohberger was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed. Kohberger was silent during his arraignment, prompting a judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. A gag order has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial. The defense team's lawyer in the Monroe County Courthouse on Monday, Abigail Parnell, declined to comment.
Fox News
30-06-2025
- Fox News
Pennsylvania residents fight subpoenas in Bryan Kohberger's Idaho murder case
A group of Pennsylvania residents is due in court for a series of hearings on whether they should be compelled to travel to Idaho for Bryan Kohberer's upcoming quadruple murder 30-year-old former criminology Ph.D. student is a Pocono Mountains native who drove home from Washington State University between the slayings of four University of Idaho undergrads on Nov. 13, 2022, and his arrest on Dec. 30 of that Pennsylvanians have been asked to testify, according to court records. Of those, at least five have been requested to testify for the defense. Each will have a chance to argue before a Pennsylvania judge why they should not have to travel before they can be forced to FORMER JAIL GUARD CALLED TO TESTIFY IN QUADRUPLE MURDER CASE AS WITNESS LIST GROWSMany of them have ties to Kohberger, 30, going back a decade or more. "It could be a strategy to engender sympathy for him in the eyes of the jurors," said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based attorney and law professor at Northwestern University. "It could be also done as a way to lay the foundation to prevent him from receiving the death penalty if convicted."The prosecution has a pile of evidence against him, Stoltmann noted, and Judge Steven Hippler recently threw out Kohberger's "alternate perpetrator" theories, finding that the defense had no evidence to suggest any of its four proposed other suspects had any connection to the scene or motive to kill the victims."A defense 'win' would be a life sentence without parole rather than the death penalty," he said. "The entire mental health disclosure about him being autistic is for the same purpose."To that end, testimony from people who knew him growing up could humanize him before the jury. Here's what we know about the witnesses:Harris runs the boxing gym where Kohberger told his former employers that he trained daily, according to public records obtained by Fox News Digital. Defense attorney Anne Taylor has requested his presence for two days of trial, according to a FIGURES FROM BRYAN KOHBERGER'S PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SUMMONED TO IDAHO FOR STUDENT MURDERS TRIALParham is an advisor at the high school Kohberger attended. She has already reached an agreement to testify and is no longer required to attend Monday's hearing, according to court documents. She was subpoenaed by the defense, and her presence has been requested for two days of FIVE KEY THINGS COULD SWAY KOHBERGER MURDER TRIALVecchio's connection to Kohberger was not immediately clear, but he has been requested by the defense for two days. He is the president of Colonial Auto in connection to the defendant is also unclear. Her hearing has been rescheduled for July 7 due to international travel, according to court documents. Defense attorney Elisa Massoth is asking for her presence for two days of the REAL-TIME UPDATES AT THE FOX NEWS TRUE CRIME HUBAndreola's connection to Kohberger is also unspecified in court documents. Massoth has subpoenaed him for two days of the is a jail guard in Monroe County. Kohberger was briefly housed in his facility between his arrest at his parents' home in Albrightsville and his extradition to Idaho. Searfoss' subpoena had not yet been published by the court as of the time of THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XSomma is believed to be a former classmate of Kohberger's. According to a Facebook account under his name, he graduated from the same technical school that Kohberger once attended. The suspect did not graduate – he was kicked out of a youth law enforcement program before he switched over to study HVAC. He left that program a year later. Somma's subpoena was also not immediately is set to begin on Aug. 11. The exact timing of each potential witness' testimony remains UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTERInitially, DeSales University professor Marie Bolger had also been summoned to court, but her name was removed from a later filing. In a 2023 interview with the Daily Mail, Bolger said Kohberger was one of her brightest students and one of only two she had recommended for Ph.D. programs in a decade as a criminology told the outlet she had never met Kohberger in person and had only taught him over email and Zoom during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. She helped him work on his graduate thesis, which centered on "how and why criminals commit their crime," she obtained a master's degree from DeSales before moving on to Washington State University, about 10 miles from the off-campus home where he is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
Fox News
27-06-2025
- Fox News
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Bryan Kohberger dealt major blow, Karen Read fallout, Suzanne Morphew murder
WHODUNIT? Kohberger team hit with major blow as judge rejects bid to name alternate suspects UNEXPECTED LIFELINE: Leaked evidence could affect death penalty in Idaho murder trial, ex-prosecutor says DEADLY CONNECTIONS: Two more witnesses emerge in Kohberger trial, including suspect's jail guard FIGHTING BACK: Relatives of slain cop fume as ex-girlfriend Karen Read walks free: 'Sickening' 'SO MANY HOLES': Karen Read trial jury foreman calls on federal agency to 'get justice for John O'Keefe' LEGAL FURY: Lawyer fires back after Karen Read prosecutor warns of 'witness abuse' LOSING CONTROL: This is the moment Karen Read's lawyers say prosecutors handed them the case SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER MURDER MYSTERY: Barry Morphew accused in wife's killing for second time in 5 years: how it unfolded BACK IN COURT: Barry Morphew seen for first time after being booked into jail in murder case LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
Fox News
27-06-2025
- Fox News
Idaho judge tells Bryan Kohberger to prepare for summer courtroom showdown after last-minute effort
Idaho Judge Steven Hippler indicated he likely won't delay August's trial in Bryan Kohberger's quadruple murder case, following a request from his defense attorney. Wednesday's hearing focused on two motions from Kohberger's defense team, one seeking to delay August's trial and another which sought to include evidence that they claim points to the existence of "alternate perpetrators." Kohberger is accused of killing Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Hippler declined to issue a ruling on Kohberger's request to delay the trial, but said "it's likely you're going to trial on the date indicated." "I fully encourage everyone to continue as if the trial is going to take place when it is scheduled for," Hippler said. Anne Taylor, Kohberger's lawyer, argued that a TV episode that aired on May 9 has the potential to taint the jury pool. "Jury selection is going to be particularly challenged and will need a great deal of time based on what's happened in the media and continues to happen," Taylor said. Joshua Hurwit, special deputy prosecutor, accused Kohberger's defense team of using a "scorched earth" strategy in this case. "The record supports denying the motion based on what the defense has been doing, continues to do, and will continue to do through the mitigation phase until, the penalty phase, including presenting mitigation evidence that the jury will, ultimately, decide about if there is a conviction," Hurwit said. Information shared during the "Dateline" episode included surveillance video from a neighboring house, which showed a car similar to Kohberger's in the King Road area several times before the four University of Idaho students were killed. The episode also claimed that FBI cellphone tower data showed that Kohberger's phone pinged nearly a dozen times near a tower that provides coverage to the area within 100 feet of 1122 King Road, where the four University of Idaho students were killed. The phone pinged near the tower starting in July 2022 and continued through mid-August 2022. In a May 15 order, Hippler said the gag order was "likely" violated by someone involved in the case, saying it's possible law enforcement was the source of the leak. He ordered anyone who has worked for the defense team or investigation to retain all communications and data relating to the case. Hippler said the following pieces of evidence were revealed during the episode: "Such violations not only undermine the rule of law, potentially by persons charged with upholding it, but also significantly impede the ability to seat an impartial jury and will likely substantially increase the cost to be borne by the taxpayers of Latah County to prosecute this case by extending the time it will take to seat a jury and potentially requiring lengthy period of juror sequestration," Hippler wrote. Tara Jalali Malek, an Idaho-based lawyer and former assistant United States attorney, told Fox News Digital that Hippler could hold the prosecution or defense team accountable if it's found the leak came from them. "Violation of a court's order is sanctionable," Malek said. "It could be contempt of court, and contempt can be civil contempt or it could be criminal contempt. That is going to be completely separate from what happens ultimately in the trial, but things that you see with contempt, there could be a fine. There could be a public reprimand, for instance. So there's a variety of things that the court could possibly do or not do if it's found that someone violated that gag order." "Anyone who violated the order, no matter what side, would be held in contempt," she added. However, Malek said she doesn't think the leak will result in the trial being delayed, as Kohberger's defense team has requested. "I would be hard-pressed to think that the entire trial would stop as a result of this," she said. "I think what is most likely, in my opinion, to happen is that the trial will move forward. This will be on a separate track as far as the investigation goes and figuring out who leaked the information, which side was it from. And then ultimately, who else, if anybody was involved or had knowledge of it, or like I said, it was just a rogue actor here that, you know, needs to be personally sanctioned in some way." Prior to Wednesday's hearing, Kohberger's defense team replied to the prosecution's objection to delaying the trial. In the filing, Taylor argued that a TV episode about the case has the potential to taint the jury pool. "It was a choreographed narrative broadcast to millions of viewers and advertised to millions more. It aired nationally and was promoted heavily across commercial breaks, streaming platforms, and social media, maximizing its visibility and impact. It was designed to provoke strong emotional reactions, which is exactly the influence that taints jury pools and risks depriving Mr. Kohberger of a fair trial," Taylor said. Taylor also argued that there needs to be an investigation into the leak before the trial can start. "The prejudice from the Dateline episode requires a continuance both because of the resulting prejudice that is separate and apart from ordinary media coverage, and because trial cannot go forward without a thorough investigation into which person(s) leaked case information and numerous sealed photographs and videos to the media," she wrote. As the trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 11, another surprise witness has emerged. A woman claiming to be a DoorDash driver says she dropped off food for Xana Kernodle just minutes before Kohberger allegedly killed the college student. The purported driver came to light after a YouTube account, Officer Axon, obtained body camera video that featured the woman. "I have to testify in a big murder case here... because I'm the DoorDash driver, so yeah," she says in the video. The officer then asked what case she was going to testify in. "The murder case with the college girls," she said. "I'm the DoorDash driver. I saw Bryan there. I parked right next to him."
Fox News
27-06-2025
- Fox News
Bryan Kohberger murder trial pushed back one week but defense's delay motion denied
The trial of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in a brutal stabbing attack, has been pushed back by one week, according to an amended scheduling order filed in Idaho's Fourth Judicial District Court. The new order Thursday says that public jury selection will begin on August 4, but opening statements are now expected on August 18, one week later than the previously anticipated start date on August 11. It replaces the previously anticipated August 4 date for the start of jury selection, instead setting aside July 28 through August 1 for sealed proceedings involving the court and attorneys. "An amended scheduling order filed today in State v. Kohberger sets new expected dates for public jury selection and for the start of the trial," the order states. Nate Poppino, a spokesperson for the Idaho court, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the updated timeline was not the result of any attempt by the defense to delay the proceedings, but rather an internal scheduling adjustment by the court. Poppino said the court determined that more time was needed for jury selection, which will start as planned on August 4. READ THE ORDER – APP USERS, CLICK HERE The highlight anticipated murder trial has faced delays since Kohberger was arrested in Dec. 2022. He initially waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing, pushing that process to June 2023. The prosecution's decision to pursue the death penalty also added further complexity to the case. Since then, the defense has filed multiple pretrial motions, including their request to move the trial due to publicity. Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the November 2022 slayings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. He has pleaded not guilty. Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted. The court did not offer an estimated duration for the trial, only that proceedings would continue "until completed."
