Joe Yates
Two years on from when four Idaho students were brutally murdered in their own home, a trial date has finally been set for their accused murderer.
Bryan Kohberger is accused of the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, both aged 21, and 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, who were all found dead in the home they shared near the campus in Moscow, Idaho.
On November 13, 2022, the four University of Idaho students were killed in an off-campus house, leaving a crime scene that police described as the 'worst they've ever seen'.
Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt confirmed that the cause of death in each case was murder by stabbing, saying the four students had been ‘butchered’.
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Two other roommates were home at the time of the attack and were not injured, although they were quickly ruled out as suspects.
It took almost two months before the force arrested and charged someone - and that was Kohberger, who had allegedly fled to Pennsylvania and was cuffed in the Scranton area of the state.
Now, Judge Steven Hippler has ruled that he will stand trial from July 30, 2025 - the date when jury selection begins.
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It is expected to last for three months, with court documents explaining that jurors will need time to deliberate over the death penalty if the 29-year-old is found guilty.
Kohberger, who has pleaded not guilty, has an alibi that he was driving alone at the time of the murders.
“Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone. Often he would go for drives at night,” public defender Anne Taylor wrote in a filing seen by the Washington Post.
She added: “He did so late on November 12 and into November 13, 2022.”
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With him providing an alibi, his defence will now be able to present witnesses when he goes on trial.
Court documents read: “Corroboration of Bryan Kohberger NOT being at 1122 King may be brought out through cross-examination of the state’s witnesses…
"At this time, Mr. Kohberger cannot be more specific about the possible witnesses and exactly what they will say."
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However, the documents also stated that Kohberger is not ‘claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time’.
The trial will be held some 300 miles away from Moscow, at the state’s capital of Boise - which is roughly a six hour drive away.