Bryan Kohberger indicted over University of Idaho murders — paving way for trial
Bryan Kohberger has been indicted by a grand jury over the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students last year — meaning he will have to enter a plea next week.
The Latah County, Idaho, grand jury indicted the former criminology student on charges of felony burglary and four counts of first-degree murder, a Latah County district clerk cജonfirmed Wednesday.
The 28-year-old stands accused of slipping into a☂n off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, and killing Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
Kohberger will by arraigned at 9 a.m. local time Monday in court, where he will have to e⛎nter a ꦍplea.
He is expected to ☂ple🌱ad not guilty, and if that is the case, a judge will set a date for trial, .
Kohberger previously ha𒆙d a preliminary hearing scheduled for late June, ♈which has been canceled.
He🎃 had previously waived a speedy trial, and effectively declined his right to head to trial within a mandated time frame.
Grand jury proceeding🐈s are closed-door events that typically remain under seal. An Wednesday was dated May 16.
During such proceedings, a panel of jurors hears testimony and evidenc🧸e related to the crime without defense attorneys’ ability to cross-examine witnesses, such as, in this case, the victims’ surviving roommates.
Defense attorneys ha🍃d argued that surviving roommate Bethany Funke should testify during the hearing, despite her request not to do so, because she had exculpatory evidence.
The grand jury proceedings would have allowed prosecutors to question Funke without the risk of defense attorneys’ probing ques🌌tions.
News of the indictment comes six months after the four studꦺents were killed inside the girls’ rented home during the early hours ܫof November 13.
Moscow police received a call ju🌠st before noon that day for a report of an “unconscio✃us person.”
Officers found the four lifeless st✃uden𒉰ts on the second and third floors, police said.
The victims had been stabbed multiple times between 3 and 4 a.m., and some showed signs of having tried to figh🌃t back💯, police said.
Two other rooꦕmꦉmates were on the bottom floor of the home at the time of the attack and survived, police said.
Roommate Dylan Mortensen, identified in court papers as “D.M.,” told police she heard who she believed was Goncalves sa🎶ying “something to the effect of ‘there’s someone here,’” according to an .
“D.M. stated she looked out of her bedroom but did not see anything when she heard the comment ab♚out someone being in the house,” the affidavit states. “D.M. sta♏ted she opened her door a second time when she heard what she thought was crying coming from Kernodle’s room.
“D🐲.M. then said she heard a male voice say somethꦛing to the effect of ‘it’s ok, I’m going to help you.’”
The surviving roommate revealed she later opened her door a third time and came face to face with the suspecte🙈d killer, whom she allegedly described as wearing a mask, having “bushy eyebrows” and being 5 feet 10 or taller, “not very muscular, but athletically built.” But police were not called for several hours.
Authorities ultimately arrested Kohberger, who was studying at nearby Washington State University, at t🀅he end of December 2022.
Kohberger, who was living close to Moscow in Pullman, Washington, had allegedly remained on campus for weeks after the murders before making a cross-country drive with his father to his home state of Pennsylvania.
