The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger, was flown Sunday morning from the Idaho county where he was being imprisoned to a different county where his trial is scheduled to take place.
The relocation of Kohberger from Latah County, where the deaths occurred in November 2022, to Ada County, which is located more than 300 miles south and is home to Idaho’s capital city, Boise, was mandated by the state Supreme Court last week.
He was checked into the local jail by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. The trial for Kohberger is scheduled to take place in Boise in June.
The 29-year-old Kohberger’s attorneys claimed that a trial in Latah County would be unjust because of the intense pre-trial publicity that would incite a “mob mentality” against him. Latah County District Judge John Judge had ruled in favor of their client.
Defense specialists presented research at a hearing on the matter that showed moving the trial to a different place was the most effective strategy to eliminate jury bias.
Latah County has a population of 41,000, of which just over half are eligible to serve on juries. The judge noted in his order that “it is far more likely” that residents would have some connection to someone involved in the case, which would make it “more likely” that they would have discussed it. Consequently, it would be “more challenging to keep jurors’ identities secret.”
“Though Latah County is not alone in experiencing an abundance of sensationalized publicity,” Judge stated, “Given the amount of coverage and the smaller population, it might have a greater impact.”
The population of Ada County is approximately 500,000.
The case will be moved to Steven Hippler, a new district judge, according to an order last week from the state Supreme Court. It is anticipated that Kohberger’s public defenders and Latah County prosecutors will stay throughout the trial.
In the upcoming months, the new judge will have to make another crucial decision: if Kohberger is found guilty, the prosecution wants to seek the death penalty. In an attempt to avert that, Kohberger’s defense team claims in a document that the death penalty would be unconstitutional under the US Constitution. On November 7, a hearing on the case is planned.
After the four students—housemates Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20—were tragically stabbed at an apartment building on the outside of the University of Idaho campus, Kohberger was taken into custody more than a month later. Kohberger first lived in the neighboring town of Pullman, Washington, before enrolling in Washington State University’s doctoral program.
In May 2023, a not-guilty plea was filed on his behalf on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. A gag order prevented many of the parties involved from speaking, and authorities have not officially verified a reason.
In order to link Kohberger to the crime, the prosecution has stated that it plans to provide DNA evidence, information regarding cellphone use, and security footage.
According to Kohberger’s defense team, he frequently took late-night trips, and cellular tower data would have demonstrated that he was miles away when the four students were murdered.
Families of some of the victims have voiced their dissatisfaction with the hold-up and have pushed for the case to stay in Latah County so that locals might serve as jury members.
Putting hope on the trial’s continued progress, the Goncalves family posted on Facebook on Thursday, saying, “Ada County, we will be seeing you soon.”