IDAHO, USA — In the ongoing legal case against Bryan C. Kohberger for the murders of four University of Idaho students, the State of Idaho recently responded to a request for discovery in court filed by Kohberger's public defender.
According to the American Bar Association — this is the formal process of exchanging information between the prosecution and the defense about witnesses and evidence they'll represent at trial.
In the initial request for discovery filed on Jan. 10, the defense asked for 18 things, including a list of potential witnesses, police reports and evidence.
State law requires the prosecution to respond. On Jan. 23, the Latah County Prosecutor's Office confirmed it fulfilled that request.
Court documents show the state sent the defense police reports and documents, including 995 pages, one audio/video file and a number of photos.
Former Idaho Attorney General Dave Leroy told KTVB exchanging evidence is fairly standard. He said what makes this response unique is the large amount of evidence to sort through, considering the pre-trial process only recently begun.
The discovery process is ongoing. Latah County's prosecuting attorney confirmed they will give the defense any new evidence discovered in the upcoming months.
Discovery requests ensure both sides have access to the same evidence — evidence attorneys will use to craft their arguments either for or against Kohberger.
Leroy expects the state to request a discovery back from the defense. He said the state will most likely ask for similar material and information the defense may use in the courtroom.
Kohberger waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing earlier this month. He'll be back in court for his five-day preliminary hearing on June 26.
Leroy said a judge will then decide if there's probable cause to believe a crime was committed and if there is probable cause to believe Kohberger committed the crime.
If there is, he said a different judge with the district court would set a date for a trial if Kohberger requests one.
Watch more coverage of this story
Ongoing coverage of the University of Idaho investigation can be found in our YouTube playlist: