The Newest in the Kohberger Murder Case

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A hearing will be held on August 29th to argue Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson's and Kohberger's public defender, Anne Taylor's positions in the change-of-venue made public Tuesday. Kohberger wants the trial moved to Boise. As much as the country has heard about this case so far the judge doesn't feel that a venue change would have much impact on the trial. The trial has been set to start on June 2, 2025, and is expected to run until August 29, 2025. The trial had originally been slated to have started this summer but the defense had argued that the timeline was not possible due to the complexity of the case. On November 13, 2022, the four bodies of college students Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20; were found dead in their off-campus home. Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022, at his parent's home in Pennsylvania, with four counts of first-degree murder and one of felony burglary. He was a criminal justice student and teaching assistant at Washington State University at the time he was arrested. It is just ten miles east of the University of Idaho where the four dead students were going at the time of their death. The defense team has made several other demands in the case. They also are challenging the use of the death penalty in sentencing. In the state of Idaho, the reads that the punishment for first-degree murder is either life in prison or death. Also, back in June 2023, his defense team entered an alibi defense regarding his whereabouts on the night of the killing. There is some controversy as to the validity of his story that he was out for a routine drive and this is why his phone pinged near the area of the dead student's residence. There is a 2023 gag order in effect and judges, attorneys, and law enforcement are not allowed to speak to the press regarding the case. It seems ludicrous for this trial to start at such a late date. By the time June 2025 rolls around it will have been approximately 2 years and 7 months since the killing. That's almost three years! How odd that the authorities in this case are letting it just lay there for that long. Does the defense really need that long? Is the case really that complex? Your thoughts.