MOSCOW, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, the man charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students, is scheduled to be back in court on Friday.
The results of the motions hearing could decide if there will be a delay in his upcoming trial.
It’s now been more than seven months since police arrested Kohberger. He's charged with murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin.
The trial is currently scheduled to start on October 2, 2023, with the state seeking the death penalty.
Kohberger claims he was "out driving alone" at the time of the Moscow murders and "could not have committed the crime of which he is accused."
At Friday's hearing, the judge will consider two motions from the defense. One is a motion to stay the trial based on concerns about the grand jury selection process, including:
- Allegations of juror bias and statements made by the court
- Questionnaires that were missing clerical information
- And alleged violations based on how jurors answered some questions
The state filed an objection, claiming the defense "has not factually asserted a substantial failure to comply with the Uniform Jury Selection and Service Act." Prosecutors accuse Kohberger of asking the court "to grind the litigation in this matter to a halt..."
The second motion from the defense seeks more information about DNA evidence.
Law enforcement collected trash from Kohberger’s family home and used a DNA sample to link him to a knife sheath found at the murder scene. Investigators said, "At least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect's biological father."
The defense is asking for access to all profiles uploaded to a DNA database. This could include the names of other people who were a potential match as well as any “unknown” males. Other requests include all communications related to DNA testing and a history of unexpected results for labs that did the testing.
The judge could grant, deny, or partially approve any parts of these motions. Depending on how the judge rules, there could then be a delay in the trial.
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