It is more than two years since four University of Idaho students were murdered at a home on 1122 King Road in Moscow. 
Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin died sometime in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022 at the since torn down residence. The defendant in the case, Bryan Kohberger, was arrested nearly 3,000 miles away in late December of that year at his parents home in Pennsylvania.
On Wednesday in Boise, Kohberger was back in court for a consequential hearing to iron out some more of the pre-trial details ahead of a scheduled trial this August. The trial was moved from Moscow to Boise due to the notion that Kohberger would not receive a fair trial in the town where the deaths took place.
At Wednesdays hearing, the following emerged:
- The terms psychopath and sociopath will be barred from the trial;
- Judge Steven Hippler noted that he will not “police” language from both the defense and prosecution in his courtroom, but encouraged both sides to be careful with language they and individuals they call to testify use. There is concern that using wrong words could prejudice the case and possibly lead to a mistrial;
- Members of Kohberger’s family will reportedly be called by the state as witnesses to his lifestyle prior to and shortly after the m*rders. Hippler suggested he would like to see them called early on in the trial so that they then can be in the courtroom to watch and support their family member moving on in the trial. Kohberger has two sisters along with his parents. Kohberger was visiting his parents in their Pennsylvania home when he was arrested shortly after Christmas of 2022;
- Hippler will permit a 3D model of the former home on King Road to be seen at trial. As someone who has been to the home twice (outside only), I argued constantly that the home should have been left up until the trial was over. While I get the security costs and eyesore to the neighborhood, you can’t replace seeing the real thing. Even though it was reported authorities dismantled portions of the home inside during the investigation and a jury would not have been allowed in it during trial, even seeing it from the outside and walking the perimeter could have been proven valuable. My thoughts on the case changed somewhat after walking the area twice;
- Testimony for the prosecution will be permitted regarding Kohberger’s reported purchase of a KA-BAR knife, sheath and sharpener early in 2022. The online Amazon purchase was reportedly up for debate because the defense argued anyone in his family could have bought it with a joint online account. Hippler stated that the account in fact was tied to Kohberger and not his family.
While there is still more to hammer out in pre-trial hearings, it certainly looks like we are headed towards an August trial.
My early take is that while Kohberger could well be convicted on circumstantial evidence alone, the state has a sizable job on its hands to convince 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt the defendant caused all this carnage by himself in such a short amount of time.
While it is certainly possible for one individual to do this, he or she would need exact precision and a little luck on their side.
DavidAlanThomas 