Kohberger defense team demands trial delay after case details leak
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The defense team of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, is pushing to delay the fastly approaching murder trial, citing the apparent leak that made its way into a recent episode of “Dateline NBC."
In recently published court documents, Kohberger's lawyers argue that the case details mentioned in the Dateline special, “The Terrible Night on King Road," violated the court's gag order, but may have created an unfair basis against their client.
"The apparent leak is not only an egregious violation of the Court’s non-dissemination order; it enabled Dateline to gild rampant speculation with a veneer of credibility," argue Kohberger's defense team. "When purportedly 'exclusive' information surfaces through a media broadcast shortly before trial -particularly information attributed to unnamed sources with access to the investigation, it carries a heightened aura of credibility and secrecy that can deeply influence public perception."
The 40-page legal filing, filed and signed by Kohberger's lawyer Ann Taylor, calls for a delay just two-months before jury selection is set to begin.
"While prompt administration of justice is important—to both the State and Mr. Kohberger—the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial outweighs modest delay," contend Kohberger's legal team. "And, because the majority of cases ending in the death penalty are later overturned for error, the public interest lies in ensuring a fair trial in the first instance. A continuance will ensure that Mr. Kohberger’s fundamental constitutional rights are honored, and that any verdict rendered rests on a fair and complete presentation of the facts, not on forced haste."
As of now, the prosecution has not yet formally responded to Taylor's motion.
Kohberger, 30, faces four counts of first-degree murder related to the fatal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, during the early hours of November 13, 2022.
He was apprehended in connection with the killings over a month later in his home state of Pennsylvania. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf in May 2023.
