(NewsNation) — A judge has granted a venue change for Bryan Kohberger, who requested the court to move his upcoming murder trial from the small town of Moscow, Idaho, arguing the small local jury pool was likely tainted by pretrial publicity.
Latah County Judge John Judge stated several reasons behind his decision to allow Kohberger to change jurisdictions Monday including hardship on the local courthouse staff.
“While Latah County court staff and court security are ready and willing to facilitate this trial to the best of their ability, there are serious issues that cannot be resolved no matter how much planning and preparation is done,” he stated.
He also agreed with Kohberger’s lawyer on the massive publicity of the case making it difficult to find impartial jurors in Latah County.
“Despite efforts by the parties and the Court to protect the jury pool from being inundated with information that is potentially prejudicial and false, extensive media coverage by mainstream media sources such as newspapers, radio stations, and television news outlets has continued throughout the state and nationally.”
The judge cited “prejudicial misinformation, rumors, and patently false theories of the case on social media outlets such as Facebook, podcasts, and blogs” that could create bias.
Lawyers for Kohberger, who is charged with killing four University of Idaho students, pushed to move the trial to Boise, but the judge did not indicate if it would be moved there.
Kohberger’s team brought forth witnesses to testify on how media coverage and public sentiment could impact potential jurors, even if they believed they could be impartial.
One witness also suggested the high level of public emotion around the case could put pressure on jurors who might worry their identity would get out and would not want to have to return to the community and explain why they voted to acquit him.
An attorney for the family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four students killed, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that they want the case tried in Latah County.
Goncalves’ family told NewsNation’s Brian Entin they are “incredibly disappointed” by the news of the venue change.
In November 2022, college students Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found dead in an off-campus house. Goncalves, Kernodle and Mogen lived in the house, while Chapin was staying with Kernodle, his girlfriend.
Kohberger was arrested at the end of December 2023 at his family’s home in Pennsylvania. Investigators used familial DNA to link Kohberger to DNA found on a knife sheath at the crime scene, along with other evidence, including his car.
A trial date was initially set for October 2023, but after Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial, it was pushed back until the summer of 2025.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this story.