Judge denies second attempt to dismiss case against suspect in Idaho student killings
By Brammhi Balarajan and Cheri Mossburg, CNN
(CNN) — A judge denied a second motion to dismiss the case against Bryan Kohberger – the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students last year.
Court records show Judge John Judge ruled against Kohberger’s team to dismiss the grand jury indictment in the quadruple murder case.
Kohberger is accused of killing Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20. The four students were found dead in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022.
This dismissal request centered on the defense’s claim of a biased jury and concerns over evidence. The defense argued during an October hearing that prosecutors failed to comply fully with Title 2 of the Idaho code, due to jury selection and jury questionnaire issues.
The judge previously denied a motion to dismiss in October based on claims of inaccurate instructions to the grand jury.
Not guilty pleas to four counts of first-degree murder were entered on his behalf at a May hearing. A trial date has not yet been set.
Police apprehended Kohberger, who attended school nearby in Washington state, at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania last December. Authorities say they linked him to a white Elantra similar to the one seen in surveillance footage near the killings.
Phone records also indicated Kohberger’s phone was near the crime scene between 9:12 a.m. and 9:21 a.m. – hours after the killings, according to court documents.
The Idaho State Lab was also able to narrow a DNA profile by linking Kohberger’s trash to a tan leather knife sheath found at the scene of the killings, the court documents state.
Officials have not provided a possible motive in the killings.
The-CNN-Wire
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