Judge Deals Major Blow to Bryan Kohberger’s Defense Ahead of Idaho Murders Trial
In a significant setback for Bryan Kohberger’s legal team, an Idaho judge has barred the defense from pointing to alternate suspects in the 2022 stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, ruling there is no credible evidence linking others to the crime.
Key Ruling Limits Defense Strategy
On June 26, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler denied Kohberger’s request to present an “alternate perpetrator” defense, which would have allowed his attorneys to suggest four other individuals could be responsible for the killings. The defense had argued that these individuals—whose identities remain sealed—had varying degrees of connection to the victims but failed to provide evidence tying them to the crime scene.
Judge Hippler cited the 2009 Idaho case State v. Meister, which sets strict standards for alternate suspect claims, stating that Kohberger’s team offered only “unsupported speculation” rather than factual proof.
- Three of the proposed alternate suspects were socially linked to one or more victims and interacted with them shortly before the murders.
- A fourth individual had a brief encounter with one victim weeks earlier but never spoke to her.
Hippler emphasized that while these individuals had opportunity (knowing the victims and their home’s layout), there was no evidence of motive or means. He also noted that all four cooperated with law enforcement, provided DNA samples, and were cleared by forensic testing, which excluded their DNA from crime scene evidence.
Prosecution’s Case Against Kohberger
Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of murder and one count of burglary in the deaths of:
- Madison Mogen, 21
- Kaylee Goncalves, 21
- Xana Kernodle, 20
- Ethan Chapin, 20
The victims were found stabbed to death in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested weeks later in Pennsylvania, ending a manhunt that had left the small college town on edge.
Key Evidence Linking Kohberger to the Crime
- DNA on a Knife Sheath: Investigators found male DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath near the victims’ bodies. Using investigative genetic genealogy, they traced it to Kohberger via a DNA match with his father, obtained from trash outside the family’s Pennsylvania home.
- Cellphone and Surveillance Footage: Kohberger’s phone was tracked near the victims’ home at least 12 times in the months before the attack. Security cameras also captured a white Hyundai Elantra (matching Kohberger’s car) near the crime scene around the time of the killings.
- No Alibi: Kohberger’s defense claims he was driving alone that night but has not provided verifiable evidence placing him elsewhere.
Trial Set for August 2025
Despite defense efforts to delay the trial and challenge DNA evidence, Judge Hippler upheld the August 4, 2025, start date for jury selection, with opening statements expected by August 18.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty, but the latest ruling narrows his legal options, preventing his team from shifting blame to others without substantiated proof. Prosecutors argue the evidence against him is overwhelming, while his attorneys continue to dispute the forensic methods used in the investigation.
As the trial approaches, the case remains one of the most closely watched murder trials in recent memory, with the victims’ families and the Moscow community seeking justice for the shocking quadruple homicide.