Lawyers for Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, and prosecutors met with a judge on Tuesday for a closed-door hearing.
Kohberger, 29, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in 2022.
The subject of the closed hearing was Kohberger’s representation and the responsibility of the state public defender to pay for those costs. District Judge Steven Hippler ordered that public defender Eric Frederickson must be at the hearing.
The meeting came after Hippler ruled that Kohberger could keep his current legal team, which consists of Anne Taylor, Elisa Massoth and Jay Logsdon.
Zach Wilkinson/Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP, Pool
Hippler was assigned to the case last month when it was relocated from Latah County to Ada County. Judge John Judge, of Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District in Latah County, previously presided over the case.
Lawyers for Kohberger requested the change in venue for the trial, arguing that potential jurors had been impacted by persistent media coverage. Judge referenced their argument when he ruled in their favor.
“Considering the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the news coverage in this case, and the smaller population in Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of demonstrating ‘a reasonable likelihood’ that prejudicial news coverage will compromise a fair trial in Latah County,” Judge wrote in the ruling. “Thus, the court will grant Kohberger’s motion to change venue for presumed prejudice.”
Kohberger made his first appearance in an Ada County courtroom on September 26.
During the hearing, Hippler expressed concerns about the current trial timeline. The trial was expected to begin in June of next year and last between three and four months.
Hippler said the schedule would be challenging for jurors because it spans the entire summer vacation period. He suggested starting in May or September instead.
Prosecutors said they would prefer to start in May, while the defense argued for a September start date. Both sides will present their case at a closed hearing before Hippler makes a ruling.
Kohberger is being held at Ada County Jail in Boise as he awaits trial.
Ada County is the largest in the state with a population of nearly 495,000.
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