Judge denies appeal in Kohberger case, trial date could be more than a year out

The amount of evidence against Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of killing four University of Idaho students in the fall of 2022, is complicating the ability to set a trial date.

Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial last August. The upcoming trial could last up to 15 weeks, according to Kohberger’s attorney Anne Taylor. 

“We have a lot of records that we have to go through,” Taylor told the court today. 

Videos, data and documents totaling 51 terabytes of evidence have been admitted into discovery so far, Taylor said. 

“To put it in perspective, one terabyte can hold 250,000 pictures, or 500 hours of high definition video,” said Taylor. 

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said although he would be ready for a trial this summer, information continues to trickle in. 

“Ms. Taylor is not underestimating the amount of work that’s involved in this case,” Thompson told the judge.

“If we cannot have a trial this summer, then I would say the earliest would be summer of next year,” Thompson said. 

A summer trial would be less disruptive to the community, said Thompson.

“We have two universities as part of our community and during the academic year, we have graduations, we have numerous sporting events, and other university events that essentially consume every available hotel or motel room within miles,” Thompson said. 

The trial will involve bringing in the media and numerous witnesses from out of state who will need lodging, Thompson said. 

Taylor said, “We do not believe a summer 2024 trial is realistic in any way.”

Taylor also said she intends eventually to push for a change of venue, which Thompson said wouldn’t make a difference in a case so steeped in constant media coverage and international attention. 

It’s not Moscow, it’s not Latah County, the case is everywhere Thompson told the court, and the change of venue won’t change that.

Judge John Judge who is presiding over the case said he wanted to get more information on discovery and possibly speed up the trial to be sooner rather than later, to be held in March of 2025. 

It’s demoralizing to think about the trial being so far into the future, because of how the delay might affect the families of the victims, Judge said. 

Judge also denied Kohberger’s defense team’s motion to appeal the indictment against him to the Idaho Supreme Court. 

“I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong about that decision,” said Judge. “I think it was correct. The Supreme Court, I guess, could turn that around, but that is doubtful, in my opinion.”