Families upset by delay in setting date for Kohberger trial

Bryan Kohberger is accused of killing four students in 2022
Families of two victims said it's time for a trial date to be set
Kohberger's attorneys want to delay the trial until 2025

Updated: Mar 1, 2024 / 03:29 PM CST

Candles and flowers are left at a make-shift memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students outside the Mad Greek restaurant in downtown Moscow, Idaho, on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. Police discovered the bodies of the four students at home near campus on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, and said the killer or killers used a knife or bladed weapon in the targeted attack. Two of the victims, 21-year-old Madison Mogen and 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, were servers at Mad Greek. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)

(NewsNation) — The families of two University of Idaho college students killed in 2022 are upset over continued uncertainty in the trial of suspect Bryan Kohberger.

In a statement, the Goncalves and Kernodle families said they want justice for their loved ones but are tired of delays made in the name of avoiding mistakes. They noted that regardless of what decisions are made, the public will second guess the actions taken.

“We want to start healing, we do, we want to find justice and try to move on from this horrible tragedy so please, please, start making some decisions, get to work and quit playing the game,” the statement read.

Kohberger, a former graduate student at Washington State University, is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, in an off-campus house in November 2022.

The stabbing deaths of the students shocked the small town of Moscow, Idaho, as the search for a suspect moved slowly.

Authorities eventually identified Kohberger using familial DNA and other evidence, including reports of his car being seen near the crime scene.

During pre-trial hearings, Kohberger’s attorneys have pushed for the case to be dismissed and argued for the release of sealed genealogy information used to identify him. In a recent hearing, his defense team asked for a change of venue and asked for the trial be delayed until 2025.

Judge John Judge declined to set a trial date but scheduled a hearing for May 14, 2024, to decide on the change of venue request and set a date for the trial to begin.

If convicted, Kohberger could face the death penalty.