Idaho quadruple murders suspect Bryan Kohberger would be lynched and riots would erupt if he were acquitted of the four murders in the town where they happened, a court heard.
The criminology lecturer, 29, is accused of slaying four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home in November 2022, in a case that stunned the nation and led to a month-long manhunt for the killer.
In his hearing on Thursday, Kohberger’s attorneys argued that he would not receive a fair trial in Latah County, where the murders occurred, and said residents would react with violence if he was acquitted.
‘The traumatized town of Moscow is understandably filled with deeply held prejudgments of guilt,’ Kohberger’s defense said in a filing, claiming that if he is freed residents would ‘burn the courthouse down – outrage would be a mild description.’
While the highly anticipated trial is set to begin June 2, 2025, the victims’ families have condemned the process as it is only the latest in a number of revised dates that could again be pushed back.
Although the quadruple murders captured national attention and have since become a hotbed of true-crime fascination, Kohberger’s attorneys argued that Latah County jurors would be biased due to their proximity to the case.
To bolster their arguments for a change of venue, the defense said they conducted a phone survey of residents that found over 98 percent were aware of the case, and 67 percent believed Kohberger is guilty.
They claimed that Latah County residents told pollsters that if Kohberger is not convicted, they ‘would probably find and kill him.’
‘There would likely be a riot and he wouldn’t last long outside because someone would do the good ole’ boy justice,’ another anonymous resident said, according to the defense.
In a legal filing, the defense claimed that ‘prospective jurors who have been exposed to prejudicial pretrial publicity enter the courtroom with case-specific knowledge gleaned from the media, social media, and discussions with friends, family members, and co-workers.’
‘Uncovering the full extent of jurors’ case-specific knowledge and opinions in high-profile cases can be extremely difficult,’ they said.
However, prosecutors countered that the ‘change of venue (is not) going to solve any of these problems.’
‘The state’s position on venue is that the case should be held here. It’s a Latah County case. We believe that we can select an appropriate panel of jurors from Latah County,’ Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said at an earlier hearing.
At Thursday’s hearing, Kohberger’s team brought in media monitoring expert Todd Murphy, who testified over the level of media exposure Latah County has received over the infamous slayings.
He testified that Latah County has received more exposure to the killings than Ada County, where the trial may have been moved to.
Murphy added that while national stories may continue to receive interest during the trial, pre-trial hearings such as this one often see a significant uptick in interest in local news.
Prosecutors maintained that any prejudgment among the jury pool could be mitigated through screening and widening the number of prospective jurors.
Kohberger’s initial trial date was set for October 2023. However, his lead defense attorney Anne Taylor has filed for extensions and further hearings numerous times since his arrest, and delayed revealing his official alibi until May 2024.
When he finally submitted the alibi, prosecutors tore it apart, as Kohberger 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, while prosecutors allege his phone was turned off when the four students were stabbed to death.
Latah County prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted over the four slayings.
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest in December 2022, over a month after the murders that shocked the nation – with his attorneys insisting they ‘absolutely believe’ he did not commit the crimes.
The month-long search for the alleged killer led to widespread media attention, with the families of the victims using 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.’