Bryan Kohberger secretly indicted by grand jury in Moscow stabbings case; hearing canceled

MOSCOW (Idaho Statesman) — Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in their Moscow home, has been indicted by a grand jury.

Idaho Judicial Branch spokesperson Nate Poppino told the Idaho Statesman that Kohberger has been indicted and an arraignment has been set for Monday at the Latah County Courthouse. It was not immediately clear what charges the grand jury returned.

The preliminary hearing set for June 26 has been canceled. That hearing, scheduled to last a week, otherwise likely would have provided previously unreleased information about the case to the public.

A prosecutor can reach an indictment in Idaho without a judge’s decision at a preliminary hearing through a grand jury. A grand jury indicted Kohberger, Poppino said.

A grand jury is a panel of citizens who hear evidence and determine if criminal charges should be initiated, according to the Fourth Judicial Court website. The jury has investigative powers and can compel witnesses and request documents.

“Grand jury proceedings are private and secret, prospective defendants are not entitled to be present at the proceedings, and no one is allowed to cross-examine witnesses on the defendant’s behalf,” the Fourth Judicial Court states. “Information presented to the grand jury is presented by prosecuting attorneys.”

Kohberger, 28, a Pennsylvania native who was studying criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University, has been accused of four counts of felony first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the Nov. 13 homicides at a Moscow house. The attack took the lives of seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.