Kohberger team says local community has ‘mob mentality’

Brian Kohberger’s attorneys claim a “mob mentality” in Latah County justifies moving the suspect’s murder trial to Boise.

In a new document filed Monday in Latah County District Court, Attorney Elisa Massoth responds to Prosecutor Bill Thompson’s argument to keep the trial in Moscow.

Kohberger’s jury trial is set for June 2, 2025, and is expected to run through August.

Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the November 2022 stabbing deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Massoth referenced quotes from a survey of Latah County and Ada County residents. If Kohberger is not convicted, Latah County residents allegedly said violence would ensue, while Ada County residents were less emotional in their responses.

“The mob mentality within the community is the exact reason that statutory grounds, prior to selecting the jury, exist to move (the) venue,” Massoth wrote.

Kohberger’s team restates its belief that the amount of media coverage surrounding this case is conditioning local residents to believe the defendant is guilty. Ada County, their argument says, provides a larger and less biased jury pool.

They also argue Moscow’s facilities cannot accommodate a jury that needs to be separated from the public for three months.

The argument to keep the trial in Moscow was filed by the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office on Aug. 12.

In it, the court document states that media coverage of the case has been widespread across Idaho, including in Ada County. It also claimed that the survey data the defense is using to justify changing the venue is incomplete and it suggested that selecting jurors from Nez Perce County could be a more cost-effective alternative than moving the trial to Boise.

It also argued that Moscow is a more convenient location for witnesses and the families of the victims.

A hearing on this matter will take place Aug. 29 in Latah County District Court.