WATCH LIVE: Judge to hear Bryan Kohberger’s motion to suppress DNA evidence Thursday
UPDATE: (Jan. 22, 2025, 4 p.m.) (KIFI) - A coalition of media organizations was allowed time by an Ada County District Judge on Wednesday afternoon to argue against closing a portion of a court hearing scheduled for Thursday in the Bryan Kohberger case.
The closed portion deals with testimony about DNA evidence that ties Kohberger to the crime scene.
Attorney Wendy Olson, representing the media organizations, suggested ways the court could keep the hearing open to the public.
After hearing the arguments from Olsen, Kohberger's defense attorney said they would still like to have the hearing open to the public.
Judge Steven Hippler responsed, saying, "I appreciate the the petition. I don't think it has changed. I appreciate the defense has shifted its position to a degree here. I'm concerned that the purpose of the shift is to try the case publicly, as was offered to me. That doesn't give me comfort, to be frank. But for the meantime, until we can, I can get a handle on the exact evidence that does, in fact, come in, given that it is, potentially evidence that will not be admissible, and anyone who hears about it may therefore be removed from the jury panel. I think it's better that we proceed, in this fashion for now."
The court remains scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday morning.
ORIGINAL STORY:
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI, ABC News) —Bryan Kohberger is expected to be in a Boise courtroom on Thursday and Friday this week.
An Ada County judge is set to hear testimony on DNA evidence prosecutors say ties Bryan Kohberger to the murder scene. They say his DNA was found on a button snap of a knife sheath found at the scene.
Kohberger’s defense team is trying to get the evidence thrown out. They raised questions about how law enforcement zeroed in on him by taking aim at DNA analysis, known as “investigative genetic genealogy.” The process involves entering DNA profiles into public databases to find relatives and narrow the list of potential suspects.
Kohberger is facing murder charges for the deaths of four University of Idaho students in November 2022. They say Kohberger entered an off-campus apartment in Moscow and fatally stabbed Kaylee Gonclaves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
Kohberger’s attorneys have filed a petition to unseal evidence and make hearings public to combat what they say is “an overwhelming public sentiment of his guilt.”
According to a court news release, “the courtroom itself will not be open to the public because much of the hearing will revert to sealed proceedings on and off throughout the hearing.”
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday. It will start with a closed portion for testimony related to the motion. After that testimony, the hearing will be streamed publicly but could be closed at times if necessary.
You can watch the stream above this article on Thursday and Friday.