Bryan Kohberger update: Idaho murders judge makes key camera ruling as dismissal bid tossed
Bryan Kohberger appeared at Latah County Court for two hearings on Thursday
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Bryan Kohberger returned to court today for a crucial hearing to argue why the grand jury indictment against him should be dismissed.
Judge John Judge denied the motion, but first made an unexpected decision to allow cameras in the courtroom.
The 28-year-old criminology PhD student is currently awaiting trial for the murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Both the defence and the prosecution have been against cameras in the courtroom, but the media and the victims’ families have fought for cameras to be allowed.
Earlier this year, Mr Kohberger’s attorneys filed the motion to dismiss the murder charges against him, citing a biased grand jury, inadmissible evidence and prosecutorial misconduct.
They tried to argue “errors in grand jury instructions,” but the judge said it is the same instruction given to grand juries for 100 years.
Mr Kohberger was linked to the murders that rocked the town of Moscow through DNA evidence, cellphone data, an eyewitness account and his white Hyundai Elantra.
His attorneys have previously tried to argue that the DNA may have been planted and that the state has not handed all the evidence for the defence to review.
Bryan Kohberger suffers two big losses in Idaho murders hearing
Judge John Judge has denied a motion filed by Bryan Kohberger’s defence team to drop all charges against him.
Earlier this year, Mr Kohberger’s attorneys filed the motion to dismiss the murder charges against him, citing a biased grand jury, inadmissible evidence and prosecutorial misconduct.
Judge Judge said that while he appreciated the defence’s argument which he called “creative,” he quickly ruled that the grand jury’s indictment would stand.
“I appreciate the argument. I think it’s really creative and I appreciate the journey back through history,” the Judge said.
“I mean, what it comes down to for me is that I am constrained by what I believe is settled law in Idaho. I may be wrong, but this is certainly an issue that you would have to bring up with a higher court, like the Idaho Supreme Court, and I look forward to getting that.”
Andrea Cavallier reports.
Bryan Kohberger suffers two big losses in Idaho murders hearing
The 28-year-old criminology PhD student is accused of slaughtering four University of Idaho students at their Moscow home on 13 November
Who is Bryan Kohberger? The criminology graduate charged with the Idaho college murders
Bryan Kohberger became a household name across America when police swooped on his parents’ home in December and arrested him for the brutal murdersof four University of Idaho students.
Mr Kohberger, then a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was accused of stabbing to death Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus student rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.
The victims’ loved ones and those following developments in the quadruple murder case went from weeks of near-silence from law enforcement to the bombshell news of the accused killer’s arrest six weeks later.
Since then, people from Mr Kohberger’s past – though shocked – have built a picture of a bullied loner who overcame addiction. Meanwhile, fellow students from his time just over the Idaho border into Washington describe a criminology zealot who “creeped people out”.
With the 28-year-old now facing the death penalty in the case, The Independent asks: Who really is Bryan Kohberger?
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
Speculation and rumour have swirled in the months following Bryan Kohberger’s arrest, as conspiracists and armchair detectives paint all manner of pictures of the accused killer. But who really is the former PhD student? Sheila Flynn reports
ICYMI: Everything you need to know about the Idaho murders
It’s been nearly a year since the quadruple murders rocked a quiet Idaho university town.
Since then, a suspect has been arrested and a lengthy legal battle by his defence to have his charges dropped has ensued.
As the sole suspect in the brutal murders is set to appear in court on Thursday, here’s everything you need to know about the case:
What to know about Idaho murders and suspect Bryan Kohberger
As the sole suspect in the stabbings of four Idaho students heads to trial, Andrea Blanco, Rachel Sharp and Sheila Flynn report on the case in small town Idaho that has shocked America
Family of victim Kaylee Goncalves have been ‘waiting for this day’
The family of Kaylee Goncalves, who was one of the victims of the Idaho murders, posted on the family Facebook today just hours ahead of suspect Bryan Kohberger’s court hearing.
“Court today! Please pray that things are decided in our favor. I can barely breathe. We have been waiting for this day since Sept 20th.”
What we know about the Idaho murders
What to know about Idaho murders and suspect Bryan Kohberger
As the sole suspect in the stabbings of four Idaho students heads to trial, Andrea Blanco, Rachel Sharp and Sheila Flynn report on the case in small town Idaho that has shocked America
Timeline of the Idaho college murders
Idaho murders case timeline
It’s now seven months since four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death in Moscow. Here’s everything that’s happened so far. Io Dodds reports
Cameras will be allowed in courtroom, Kohberger judge rules
Judge Judge made an unexpected decision at Thursday’s hearing, announcing that he will not ban cameras in the courtroom for the Bryan Kohberger case.
He said cameras will stay in the courtroom though he will “take more control” of them.
Prosecution says case should not be thrown out, ‘there’s nothing to see here’
The prosecution is now arguing why the grand jury indictment against Kohberger should not be thrown out.
“There is nothing to see here. The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled on this issue.”
His argument lasted less than two minutes.
Bryan Kohberger suffers two big losses in Idaho murders hearing
Judge John Judge has denied a motion filed by Bryan Kohberger’s defence team to drop all charges against him.
Earlier this year, Mr Kohberger’s attorneys filed the motion to dismiss the murder charges against him, citing a biased grand jury, inadmissible evidence and prosecutorial misconduct.
Judge Judge said that while he appreciated the defence’s argument which he called “creative,” he quickly ruled that the grand jury’s indictment would stand.
“I appreciate the argument. I think it’s really creative and I appreciate the journey back through history,” the Judge said.
“I mean, what it comes down to for me is that I am constrained by what I believe is settled law in Idaho. I may be wrong, but this is certainly an issue that you would have to bring up with a higher court, like the Idaho Supreme Court, and I look forward to getting that.”
Andrea Cavallier reports.
Bryan Kohberger suffers two big losses in Idaho murders hearing
The 28-year-old criminology PhD student is accused of slaughtering four University of Idaho students at their Moscow home on 13 November
Why did Bryan Kohberger want cameras out of court?
Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger wanted to ban cameras from his high-profile trial after bizarrely claiming that the media was honing in on his crotch.
The 28-year-old criminal justice PhD student filed a motion on 24 August asking Judge John Judge to toss cameras from the courtroom where he faces charges for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
In the defence motion, his attorney Anne Taylor argued that past footage from his court appearances had focused heavily on his crotch.
“Mr. Kohberger is entitled to defend himself against capital criminal charges without cameras focused on his fly,” his attorney wrote.
She added that the media had been warned back in June not to focus solely on Mr Kohberger during the court appearances – but that they had “failed” to comply.
A group of media outlets – and the families of Goncalves and Kernodle – pushed back on the defence’s request, asking the judge to allow cameras to remain in the courtroom for his future hearings and the trial.
The media coalition argued that no photographic or film coverage had focused on his fly – pointing out that an image included in the defence motion came from a social media post and not a media outlet’s coverage.
“Although Mr. Kohberger argues that he is ‘entitled to defend himself against capital charges without cameras focused on his fly,’ that assertion misstates the role that courtroom camera coverage played in the X social media post that appears at page 3 of his motion. No photographs or camera coverage focused on Mr. Kohberger’s ‘fly,’” it stated in a motion.
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