A lawyer representing accused University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger claimed on Friday that increased media spotlight could cause any small detail to be used as evidence against his client, even something as innocuous as toothbrush choices.
Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last year at his parents' house in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, and is accused of brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. The students, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found dead later that day in their beds at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho.
Utilizing DNA found at the crime scene, investigators were able to hone in on Kohberger as the prime suspect. He had previously been working as a teacher's aide at Washington State University (WSU), which is just a few miles away from the University of Idaho. Police arrested the 28-year-old WSU graduate student on December 30, finding a knife, gun, and black face mask at his parents' home. Meanwhile, a former lawyer who represented Kohberger said at the time that his client was "eager to be exonerated."
He is currently charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Last month during his arraignment after being indicted by a grand jury, Kohberger stood "silent," allowing the judge to enter not guilty pleas on his behalf, with his case expected to go to trial in early October.
Due to the grisly nature of the situation, the University of Idaho killings have drawn a national spotlight and coverage from outlets far outside of Idaho. The judge overseeing the case, Latah County District Judge John C. Judge, has put a gag order in place, preventing attorneys and law enforcement officials from speaking publicly about the case. Members of the media coalition covering Kohberger's case have filed a motion to vacate the gag order, which would allow them access to more details for their reporting.
Judge has yet to make a decision on the matter, and on Friday, Jay Logsdon, a member of Kohberger's legal defense team, argued that the intense focus on his client could lead to even the most innocuous details being warped and used against him by the public, local news station KTVB reported. As an example, he argued that he could say Kohberger uses a blue toothbrush "and it would be prejudicial to him."
While Judge has yet to make a decision, he told Wendy Olson, the lawyer representing the press coalition, on Friday during the arguments that he believes the press has already manipulated information stemming from the case, while admitting that he does not consume much news content himself.
"There is a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there that is concerning," Judge said.
Newsweek reached out to Olson via email for comment.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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