Judge grants Bryan Kohberger’s motion to move trial from Latah County

LATAH COUNTY, Idaho (Court TV) — A judge has granted Bryan Kohberger’s request to move his quadruple murder trial from Latah County, Idaho.

Latah County Judge John C. Judge presides over an arraignment hearing for Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Latah County District Court in Moscow, Idaho. (Zach Wilkinson/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP, Pool)

The ruling dated Sept. 6, noted presumed prejudice in the potential jury pool and Latah County’s ability to hold such a high-interest trial with limited resources and staffing. The ruling did not state where the trial, currently scheduled for June 2025, will be held.

Court officials confirmed to Court TV that the case will also get a new presiding judge.

Kohberger is charged with the brutal murders of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves at their rental home near the University of Idaho. Six weeks after they were stabbed to death, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.

For months, Kohberger’s attorneys had been fighting to have his trial moved from Latah County to Ada County, where Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell stood trial. Following a recent hearing, Judge Judge called the decision to move the trial one of the hardest decisions of his career.

Last week, Kohberger’s defense filed over a dozen motions seeking to strike aggravating factors and the death penalty itself . His defense claims the means of which the death penalty are carried out in Idaho are unconstitutional. They also claim “Idaho’s statutory and constitutional guarantee to a speedy trial prevents effective assistance of counsel in death penalty cases,” and “a capital case cannot be prepared in ten months.”

Following the ruling, the family of Kaylee Goncalves released a statement to Court TV saying they’re “incredibly disappointed in the judge’s ruling granting the change of venue.”