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- Prosecutors retain key evidence in Bryan Kohberger's Idaho student killings case.
- Judge denied defense motions to suppress evidence; trial set for August.
- Defense argues Kohberger's autism affects his understanding; prosecutors cite incriminating evidence.
BOISE, Idaho — Prosecutors are allowed to keep a wealth of evidence in their case against Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home in 2022, a judge has ruled.
The Idaho judge's decision to deny defense motions relating to the suppression of different types of evidence is among the latest developments ahead of the trial, which is scheduled to begin in August 2025.
It's been a long and winding road since the four students – Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen – were fatally stabbed in the overnight hours of Nov. 13, 2022, at a home just off the school's main campus in Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger, a Washington State University graduate student in criminology, was arrested in the killings on Dec. 30, 2022, in his home state of Pennsylvania. He was charged with four counts of murder; a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf in May 2023, and his attorneys have indicated the 29-year-old intends to present an alibi as part of his defense.
The progression of the case has been slowed by a series of pre-trial motions and hearings that have frustrated the family of one of the victims as well as the judge overseeing the case.
In a newly released court filing, Kohberger's attorneys argue the defendant doesn't understand the magnitude of his actions due to his autism spectrum disorder and, therefore, should not be considered for the death penalty.
The documents include an anecdote describing Kohberger making small talk with an officer at the back of a squad car after his arrest, where he asked the officer about his education and suggested they get coffee at a later date.
"He did not perceive the profoundly serious nature of the moment and exhibited no perception of what was happening," the filing said.
In a separate filing, prosecutors reveal store records showing that Kohberger purchased a black balaclava from Dick's Sporting Goods in January 2022 –– one that matches a description given by a surviving roommate who saw an intruder in the house the night of the stabbings.
Other evidence prosecutors cited included an academic paper Kohberger wrote for a criminal justice class in 2020. The 12-page paper, titled "Crime-scene Scenario Final" details a case involving a 35-year-old woman who was stabbed to death with a knife at a trailer park, including steps on how he would assess a crime scene if he were an investigator. It was not immediately clear whether the case described in the paper is hypothetical or real.
The paper "would be introduced to show Defendant's knowledge of crime scenes," the documents read, with prosecutors pointing to aspects of the case that are similar to the University of Idaho murders, such as the use of the knife, surveillance video and collection of DNA.
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