Press Release: Bryan Kohberger Murder Trial Set for Summer 2024
The trial of Bryan Kohberger, accused of brutally murdering four University of Idaho students, is scheduled to commence on July 30, 2024, and extend over three months, concluding on November 7. The extended timeline is partially due to the complexity of the case, which involves jurors deliberating on potential death penalty implications, following filings by Judge Steven Hippler.
Kohberger, a 29-year-old former criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, faces four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves, who were found slain on November 13, 2022. Prosecutors are pursuing capital punishment, asserting that there are no mitigating factors that would preclude such a penalty.
The trial will occur in Ada County, having been moved from Latah County after Kohberger’s defense team successfully argued that he could not receive a fair trial due to the close-knit nature of the Moscow community, where local sentiment largely viewed him as guilty. A pre-trial survey indicated that a substantial number of respondents believed he was guilty and favored the death penalty, creating concern over the possibility of biased jurors.
In addition to determining Kohberger’s guilt or innocence, the trial will include a second phase, dependent on the outcome of the first, to assess sentencing options should he be convicted. The court has also scheduled arguments next month on the appropriateness of the death penalty in this case.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to all charges as he awaits his trial next summer.
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