In the Idaho student murders case, Bryan Kohberger is facing charges related to the deaths of four University of Idaho students in November 2022. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in this high-profile case. The victims, known as “The Idaho Four,” were found dead in their off-campus home in Moscow. The defense plans to argue that Kohberger was elsewhere at the time of the murders, and the judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf last year.
In a written response released on Monday, the prosecution urged the judge to reject Kohberger’s alibi, arguing that it does not meet state requirements to prove he was not at the crime scene. The alibi states that Kohberger was driving around areas south of Pullman, Washington, and west of Moscow at the time of the homicides, but the prosecution believes it lacks specificity. The defense is requesting that DNA evidence from the FBI, which identified Kohberger as a suspect using forensic genetic genealogy, be made public.
The prosecution is also asking the judge to place limitations on Kohberger’s alibi, specifically defining it so they know what claims they must refute. Reference to the location of Kohberger’s cell phone at the time of the murders is deemed irrelevant by the prosecution. The amount of time given to offer more witnesses and information is affecting the prosecution’s ability to investigate and respond to new alibi-related disclosures. The judge will determine whether an upcoming pretrial hearing should be public, with the prosecution wanting it to be closed to the public.
An upcoming hearing on June 27 may result in a change of trial location, with arguments focused on moving the trial out of Latah County. Despite the prosecution challenging the defense’s phone survey of potential jurors, the judge ruled that Kohberger’s legal team could continue this practice. The team had called hundreds of potential jurors, leading to concerns about prejudicial information being shared. However, the judge found no reason to adjust the questioning and allowed the survey to proceed. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding common ground in telling this story.
