Idaho College Murders: Prosecutors Deliver Major Blow to Bryan Kohberger Defense Ahead of Quadruple Homicide Trial

Prosecutors in the quadruple murder case against Bryan Kohberger have issued their formal opposition to defense’s request to move the high-profile trial out of Latah County.

In a new court filing, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, who is seeking the death penalty in the case, argued that the defense was unconvincing in their push to change the venue for the scheduled June 2025 trial.

Thompson asked Judge John Judge to rule against the defense’s request for the venue change.

“(The) defendant has failed to meet his burden of showing that change of venue in this case is necessary or convenient,” the filing reads.

Thompson insisted the court should “decline to relocate itself, the state and scores of witnesses hundreds of miles only to face another jury pool with similarly high media exposure.”

In November 2022, Kohberger, 29, was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University when police believe he broke into a home in Moscow, Idaho, and allegedly fatally stabbed four students — Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20.

Kohberger was eventually identified as a suspect and charged with four counts of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty in the case and is currently behind bars without bail.

Because of the media attention surrounding the upcoming legal proceedings, Kohberger’s defense, led by attorney Anne Taylor, has argued that their client cannot receive a fair trial in Moscow.

The defense said they hired a trial consultant that showed how survey data from potential jurors revealed why moving the trial to Ada County — the state’s largest county, with more than 500,000 residents — would give Kohberger the best chance at an impartial jury pool.

Prosecutors argued the use of surveyed data is flawed and with Judge’s standing gag order, it has effectively prevented pretrial publicity of the case from spoiling the local jury pool.

In the court filing, the prosecution posited that expanding the number of Latah County residents who are asked to show up as potential jurors would help alleviate the potential issue. They also wrote Idaho law would dictate seating a jury from a nearby county — not one on the other side of the state.

Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.

Prosecutor Thompson did argue in January that a shift to Lewis County, with a population of about 3,500 people and 2,200 active voters, could be a potential fit if Judge felt a change of venue was needed, the Idaho Statesman reported.

However, moving the trial almost 300 miles south to Boise is not convenient, the filing notes. Because of that, prosecutors wrote, “(The) defendant’s motion should be denied.”

A hearing for oral arguments over the possible venue change has been scheduled for Aug. 29 in Latah County.