New Development in Bryan Kohberger Murder Case as His Defense Seeks to Halt Court Proceedings

Bryan Kohberger was indicted on May 17 for the high-profile University of Idaho murders, just weeks before appearing in the courtroom for a preliminary hearing. Charged with the quadruple homicide of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, Kohberger opted not to enter a plea, and the judge a trial date of October 2, 2023, was set by the judge overseeing the case.

However, if his defense has its way, the Ph.D. student won't have to be in court that day, as the accused killer's legal team is contesting the indictment. 

According to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Kohberger's, Kootenai County public defender Anne Taylor, filed a motion Wednesday to halt court proceedings "while the matter of the grand jury record is argued and prepared." 

His lawyer is contesting the manner in which the indicting jury was selected. "[Kohberger] is exercising due diligence to discover the grounds upon which to file a motion to dismiss related to how the grand jury was selected," Taylor wrote.

According to KHQ-TV, Idaho law dictates that defendants have the right to challenge a jury if it was improperly formed. Taylor points out that because Moscow is such a small town and the case has been widely reported, they have the right to examine how the grand jury was selected. She also explained that the reason why Kohberger refused to enter a plea was to contest the indictment. 

Taylor added that she and her team did not have enough time to review the evidence, stating that more time was needed to produce Kohberger's alibi. In May, she also demanded all of the grand jury materials and recordings of the proceedings. A hearing for that has been set for June 27. 

She also states that since the death sentence is on the table and Kohberger hasn't waived his right to a speedy trial, the state's failure to provide them with all requested materials gets in the way of defending their client.