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    Trial date set in University of Idaho murders

    By Emily Shapiro,

    2 days ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3qO6Uk_0u6NovkC00

    A trial date of June 2, 2025, has been set for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in an off-campus house.

    The trial is expected to run until Aug. 29, 2025, precluding Juneteenth and the Fourth of July.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=06lsSs_0u6NovkC00
    August Frank-Pool/Getty Images - PHOTO: Bryan Kohberger talks to his attorney Anne Taylor before a hearing, August 18, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho.

    The defense still wants a change of venue, which has not yet been determined. If the venue changes, the trial date should still hold, Judge John Judge said.

    The parents of 21-year-old victim Kaylee Goncalves had been desperate for a date to be set , telling ABC News in January their family is "in limbo" until trial begins.

    MORE: Parents of University of Idaho victim Kaylee Goncalves desperate for trial date to be set as case returns to court

    "We got to get this case over," Steve Goncalves said. "Let's do it. Let's stop playing these delay tactics, let's just get it done."

    The Goncalves family said in a statement Thursday, "We are hopeful the trial stays in Latah County so as not to disrupt the scheduling order and we are praying for no more delays. We moved a little closer to justice today for Kaylee, Maddie, Xana and Ethan."

    Roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, as well as Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death in the girls' off-campus home in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Two other roommates survived.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Ai8a1_0u6NovkC00
    Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram - PHOTO: A photo posted by Kaylee Goncalves only a few days ago shows University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Goncalves. The four were found dead at an off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022.
    MORE: Idaho college murders: House demolished despite some families' objections

    Kohberger, who was a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the gruesome crime, was arrested weeks later.

    A not guilty plea was entered on Kohberger's behalf for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3YsC8E_0u6NovkC00
    Kai Eiselein-Pool/Getty Images - PHOTO: Bryan Koberger listens during a hearing to overturn his grand jury indictment, Oct. 26, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho.

    The prosecution and defense have gone back-and-forth proposing potential trial dates at hearings this year.

    On Jan. 26, the prosecution told the judge it was ready to go to trial in summer 2024. Prosecutors said summer is best because there will be out-of-state witnesses who need accommodations in Moscow, which they said is difficult while local schools are in session.

    The defense argued a summer 2024 trial is not realistic for this complex case. The defense said it still had a lot of digital evidence to go through, more potential witnesses to speak with and more documents to collect from Kohberger's past and his family.

    The prosecution agreed that there was a large amount of information to sift through.

    MORE: Idaho college murders: Former King Road roommate recalls learning of killings

    The defense recommended a summer 2025 trial if the case moved forward in Latah County, but days after the Jan. 26 hearing, Kohberger's defense filed a motion for a change of venue.

    The prosecution said the case has national and international interest, so a change of venue would not solve any problem.

    At a Feb. 28 hearing, the judge and prosecution proposed a trial date of March 3, 2025, while the defense asked for a June 2025 trial.

    The next hearing to discuss a change of venue will be on Aug. 29.

    ABC News' Julie Scott and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

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