Bryan Kohberger seeks to alter the trial location in the student murders case.
The defense of Kohbeger in the Idaho student murders trial cited the presence of a "mob mentality" within the community where the trial is taking place.
At noon on Thursday, Bryan Kohbeger, the suspect in the Idaho murders, will appear in the Latah County courthouse for a hearing to request a change in trial venue location.
The defense team of Kohberger is contending that a "groupthink" in Latah County, where he is accused of brutally murdering four University of Idaho students in their home in November 2022, will lead to an unfair jury selection and, consequently, an unfair trial for the 29-year-old defendant.
According to court filings submitted by the defense last week, the pressure to convict Bryan Kohberger is so intense that survey respondents in Latah County said they would burn down the courthouse if he wasn't convicted. The outrage expressed by the community members surveyed was described as mild.
"They would probably find him and kill him." "There would likely be a riot and he wouldn't last long outside because someone would do the good ole' boy justice." "Enraged strong opinions. Firing of officers." "Riots, parents would take care of him."
The defense team of Kohberger is arguing that the extensive media coverage in Latah County, with 1,300 media stories about the University of Idaho murders, has influenced the public's perception of the case.
A former Ph.D. student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, named Kohberger, is charged with four counts of murder and burglary after allegedly stabbing four young adults, aged 20 to 21, with a KA-BAR knife in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.
In late December 2022, Kohberger was arrested at his family home in Pennsylvania. His trial is scheduled for no later than the summer of 2025, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.
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Latah County's media coverage is overwhelming, yet it fails to convey that no evidence has been presented, no facts are on record, and Bryan Kohberger is innocent. The defense team emphasized that only a jury can determine the facts and whether they prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Planet Chronicle Digital's Michael Ruiz and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
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