An Idaho judge delivered a blow to quadruple homicide suspect Bryan Kohberger’s defense on Wednesday as he finally made a ruling on the DNA technique prosecutors used to identify the then-grad student as the prime suspect.
Idaho 4th District Judge Steven Hippler has determined that police did not violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights during its search for the person who murdered University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20; and Xana Kernodle, 20 inside their off-campus house, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Authorities had found genetic material on a knife sheath at the murder scene, which police linked to 30-year-old Kohberger through genetic genealogy testing – which compares the sample with data from public databases that came from the suspect’s distant relatives.
Kohberger’s defense team has since argued that his constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure were violated, because his DNA was obtained without a warrant.
But Hippler ruled on Wednesday that there is ‘no reasonable expectation of privacy in identity’ and Kohberger’s team ‘did not prove that his DNA was tested for anything other than identifying purposes,’ according to court documents obtained by KIRO.
‘Even if the DNA analysis revealed sensitive personal details, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in crime scene DNA,’ the judge wrote.
He also determined that the DNA technique prosecutors used did not jeopardize the investigation and its use by the FBI does not justify suppressing any evidence collected after that.
Separately, Hippler ruled that the defense’s assertion that detectives lied or withheld information from a prior judge to obtain search warrants was unfounded and does not support holding a separate hearing to challenge the evidence.
An Idaho judge delivered a blow to quadruple homicide suspect Bryan Kohberger’s defense on Wednesday
He is accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Ethan Chapin , 20; and Xana Kernodle, 20 inside their off-campus house
The ruling comes just one week after Kohberger’s lawyers claimed blood from an unknown man was found on a handrail in the victims’ home and another’s DNA was found on a glove outside.
Kohberger’s attorney Anne Taylor criticized authorities as she claimed that police did not disclose the unidentified blood when obtaining a search warrant for Kohberger’s arrest in December 2022, which prosecutors did not dispute.
She argued this should disqualify some evidence collected in the search as it was not properly authorized.
But Hippler dismissed those claims on Wednesday.
‘His DNA is still on the knife sheath, though,’ the judge said, according to Fox News.
‘That’s the problem, counsel.’
Hippler then went on to deny the defense’s motion to suppress digital evidence gathered from Kohberger’s Google, Amazon and Apple accounts, as well as his cellphone data.
Police have said his phone pinged near the victim’s King Road home over a dozen times before the murders.
Kohberger’s defense team had claimed his constitutional rights were violated
Authorities had found genetic material on a knife sheath at the murder scene
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest, which came after a high-profile search that took over a month as social media became obsessed with the case.
Internet sleuths pored over the lanky teaching assistant’s history, revealing everything from his middle-school bullying at the hands of popular classmates to his humiliating Tinder dates.
The accused killer is now set to stand trial in August, with jury selection scheduled for July 30.
His initial trial date had been set for October 2023. However, Taylor filed for multiple extensions and further hearings since his arrest, sparking anger from the victims’ families.
Kohberger’s team even delayed revealing his official alibi until May 2024, and when he finally did so, prosecutors and the public reacted with dismay as he claimed he was ‘driving alone’ on the night of the murders ‘to look at the moon and stars.’
In that filing, Taylor said she would be calling on a phone data analysis expert to back up his claims he was miles from the scene, which is one of the pieces of evidence prosecutors and the defense have repeatedly clashed over.
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest
From cellphone data produced by prosecutors, the route allegedly driven by Bryan Kohberger on the night of the brutal Idaho murders may be a crucial piece of evidence in the state’s case against the 28-year-old. In his new alibi filing, his lawyers say they plan to dispute this data
Amid the wave of media attention on the case, the families of the victims have used the spotlight to condemn the proceedings against Kohberger.
In December 2023, the mother of victim Kaylee Goncalves said the ongoing process has been ‘gut wrenching.’
‘It’s gut-wrenching how slow everything has to go. Why does this have to be so drawn out?’ Kaylee’s mother Krisi said in an interview with KHQ.
‘It’s important, I get it, but there are facts, we have certain facts, we have certain knowledge. I can’t believe that this is how it works.’
The off-campus home where the four grisly murders took place was torn down in December amid the delays, despite calls from the victims’ families to keep it standing
That same month Idaho officials also came under fire after the off-campus home where the four students were stabbed was torn down – against the victim’s families’ wishes.
Although both prosecution and defense agreed for it to be torn down, the families argued against it, with Goncalves’ loved ones fearing the move would ‘destroy one of the most critical pieces of evidence in the case.’
Before it was torn down, the scenes inside the home were so gruesome that exclusive DailyMail.com images showed blood seeping down the outsides of the property.
If found guilty, Kohberger could face the death penalty.