In the case of the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students in 2022, Bryan Kohberger’s defense attorneys argue that there is immense pressure to convict, to the extent that some residents of Latah County are foreseeing potential lynch mobs or riots if he is found not guilty. His lawyer, Elisa Massoth, stated in a recent filing that the only way for Kohberger to receive a fair trial is for the proceedings to be relocated to a different area due to the community bias.
Scheduled to preside over a hearing on the change of venue motion is Second District John Judge. If approved, the trial, currently scheduled for June 2025, could be relocated from Moscow to a larger Idaho city such as Boise. Kohberger, a former criminal justice student at Washington State University in Pullman, faces four counts of murder in relation to the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves, all University of Idaho students who were killed in a rental house near the campus in November 2022.
Following the killings, Kohberger was apprehended at his parents’ residence in Pennsylvania six weeks later while on winter break. The incident left both universities’ students in shock and the city of Moscow profoundly disturbed. The defense team argued that extensive media coverage has fueled bias against Kohberger within the small, close-knit community.
Defense attorney Anne Taylor previously requested a change of venue in January, citing inflammatory pretrial publicity, the small community size, the salacious nature of the allegations, and the severe charges against Kohberger as factors affecting his right to a fair trial. A survey conducted by the defense team indicated that a significant majority of Latah County residents held a preconceived opinion of Kohberger’s guilt.
While prosecutors disputed the survey’s validity and proposed alternative methods to ensure a fair trial without relocating the proceedings, such as widening the pool of potential jurors to include neighboring counties, defense attorney Taylor emphasized the detrimental impact of relentless and inflammatory media coverage on the case within Latah County.
The extensive media scrutiny surrounding the investigation into the killings extended beyond traditional news outlets to true crime television programs, books, podcasts, YouTube videos, and social media platforms, further contributing to the biased atmosphere against Kohberger in Latah County. The defense team stressed the importance of upholding Kohberger’s right to a presumption of innocence and a fair trial amidst the pervasive public condemnation fueled by media coverage.
