Having been in the media industry for more than three decades, I’ve always been a big supporter of the First Amendment for obvious reasons.
Although some things allowed to be said under that all-important First Amendment can be downright offensive and more, people have a right in this country to state their opinions.
With that in mind, there have been a ton of opinions both online and offline over the last 13 months as it relates to the Idaho 4 killings in the small university town of Moscow on Nov. 13, 2022.
While the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin should always be the prime focus, we can’t rule out the importance of the defendant, Bryan Kohberger, being able to get a fair trial at the end of the day.
Imagine for a moment if we lived in a society where people by law were deemed to be guilty until proven innocent. The country we love so much would likely cease to exist as we know it.
So, it is often with a grain of salt that I watch and/or listen to videos such as the one by Gray Hughes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaBMiuvzhSg.
Of course Hughes has every right to tout their views, albeit speculation at best. However, the bias by which Hughes has all but convicted Kohberger of the crime is striking. Watch and listen to the video and you will be hard-pressed to hear the words alleged or allegedly uttered by this latest You Tuber video.
Having watched/listened to the video twice, a few thoughts on my end:
1. Kohberger is innocent until proven guilty by 12 of his peers – Even if you are 100 percent convinced Kohberger did it (your right of course), we do not convict people on social media. We can speculate about their actions, have opinions and so on. Even with all that, it is a jury or in some cases a judge with the ultimate say. If Kohberger is in fact found guilty in a court of law, by all means throw the book at him. In the meantime, don’t be shocked given all the social media posts and more that his defense team attempts to get the trial moved elsewhere. While I think the trial should take place in the town where the crimes were committed, it may be all but impossible for the defendant to get a fair one given all the online bias directed towards him.
2. Nine minutes is possible but how likely? – The You Tuber says they believe Kohberger committed these heinous crimes in under nine minutes. Sure, anything is possible if you stop and think about it. On the flip side of the coin, that is a terribly short time to take out four people, even those who’d been drinking. There has been this assumption online for many months now that all four victims were so intoxicated they would have been unable to fight back. Let me set the record straight and assure you that some people under the influence of alcohol can indeed fight back when their physical well-being is on the line. In fact, I would argue a drunk person could be more dangerous to the unpredictability of what they’re going to do. If we go off the assumption that Mogen and Goncalves were in the same bed sleeping or falling off to sleep, one or both of them could have screamed, fought back etc. That would be enough to potentially awaken people on the floor below them and arouse Kaylee’s dog in the other room on the third floor. The perp would likely have met some resistance from Goncalves, especially given the fact her father said her wounds were different from Mogen’s. When you examine the two deaths on the second floor (Chapin, Kernodle), one can at least ponder the fact one or both fought back, screamed etc. Given it was reported Kernodle had defensive wounds, she may well have put up a fight, further delaying the perp from exiting the home. While there have been references to Ted Bundy etc. and how simple it would be to take out one or more victims in a short span of time, there is nothing to indicate that this crime was anything like what the notorious serial killer did decades ago.
3. Dylan Mortensen needs to take the stand at trial – Finally, I’ve been very clear from early on that I do not think roommate Dylan Mortensen pictured on left with fellow roommate Bethany Funke) had
a role in these killings. There has been no evidence to date that shows any involvement on her part. With that in mind, her being cleared by law enforcement early on does NOT mean she has a free pass. If any new evidence comes to light that she did have a role to play, she of course could be looked at again. It blows my mind when her defenders get all in a tizzy about how she was cleared and no one can ponder any potential role she might have played in these tragic deaths. Again, my issue with Mortensen is not that she allegedly took part in these killings (I say she did not) but that she was negligent not checking on her roommates after reportedly opening her second floor bedroom door THREE times during the span of a number of minutes. Something or things obviously got her attention to do this. As such, most people would have checked on their roommates either via text or knocking on their bedroom doors once safe to do so. She may well have not been able to save any lives, but we will never know. Even the coroner and medical examiner can only guess at the approximate time the victims died. If they come out at trial and conclusively show how one stab wound was fatal and in a short amount of time, then we can put to rest the speculation of could any of the victims been saved or at least had a fighting chance with immediate medical attention. Keep in mind Mortensen said in the PCA that she saw an individual wearing a mask and that they had bushy eyebrows among other things. Okay, WHY would you not call 911 or at the very least check on your roommates once safe to do so after seeing a masked individual in your home? The mask was not due to a frat prank, it being bitterly cold outside (temp around the time of the killings was anywhere from 28-32 degrees) or even COVID. Use some logic and know that seeing a masked individual in your home around 4:20 ish in the morning is NOT normal.
As we wind down 2023 and hopefully move a step closer to trial in 2024, will the defendant get his right to a fair trial or has he in essence already been convicted?
There is also reportedly Ethan Chapin merchandise out there and most of us know about the tulips program in place to honor the lone male victim in the killings (Chapin worked on a tulip farm in his native Washington). As I see it, there is nothing wrong with any of these things as long as any monies made go towards scholarships etc. to honor the four victims. Many people feel a connection to this case despite not knowing the victims and families personally. If buying credible merchandise or making a donation to do something positive and the families do not cash in on it, I think that is fine.
