MOSCOW, Idaho — The man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students last year could go to trial as early as this summer.
Latah County prosecutors filed a motion Thursday to schedule Bryan Kohberger's jury trial for summer 2024. Prosecutors are asking the court to allot six weeks for the trial, and to make sure the trial doesn't happen when Moscow High School and the University of Idaho are in session. The state also asked the court to schedule a status conference to officially schedule the trial.
Kohberger, 28, is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in a Moscow home on Nov. 13, 2022. He was arrested at his family's home in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30, 2022, and has been in the Latah County Jail since the beginning of the year. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one county of burglary.
Sr. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ashley Jennings filed the motion on Thursday. In the request, she asked the court to schedule the trial sometime during the summer of 2024, and asked that the trial take place when school is not in session. Moscow High School is located directly across from the Latah County Courthouse, and the state wants to make sure students and residents are not impacted by limited parking and other factors.
The state also asked the court to set a daily trial schedule of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST. Since the state is requesting six weeks for this case to go to trial, "it is appropriate to afford jurors some amount of time to tend to their personal affairs.
The state asked to schedule a status conference to officially schedule a trial date. The trial will be livestreamed on Judge John C. Judge's personal YouTube page.
Since his arrest, Kohberger has been indicted by a grand jury for the charges against him. On Tuesday, a Latah County judge denied Kohberger's request to dismiss the indictment on the grounds of improper jury instructions, calling his arguments on the matter "creative."
Kohberger stood silent at his arraignment earlier this year, prompting the judge to enter five not guilty pleas on his behalf. The state also filed a motion to seek the death penalty against Kohberger.
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