The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled that the murder trial for Bryan Kohberger will be relocated from Moscow, Idaho, to the state’s capitol, Boise. This decision was made after Kohberger successfully argued that he could not receive a fair trial in the small community where the tragic event occurred. Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Bevan issued the ruling to move the case and assigned District Judge Steven Hippler to oversee the trial, which is currently set for June 2025.
Kohberger, a former criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, will also be transferred from a Latah County jail into the custody of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. This move comes after Latah County Judge John Judge granted Kohberger’s motion to move the case on the grounds that potential jurors in Moscow had been exposed to too much media coverage and were too emotionally tied to the Nov. 13, 2022, massacre to be able to fairly decide the case.
Lawyers for Kohberger, 29, argued that a poll of 400 locals found 60% believed Kohberger is guilty, 52% believe he should receive the death penalty, and some said they’d kill him themselves if he was found innocent, with one even adding they would burn the courthouse down if he was acquitted. Judge Judge said a jury pool in Latah County would have a “presumed prejudice” and ordered the case be transferred out of the county, leaving it up to the Gem State’s high court to determine the new location.
Kohberger is charged with butchering University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen in their off-campus house. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
