Idaho murder trial for Bryan Kohberger will move out of Moscow

MOSCOW (Idaho Statesman) — The murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, charged with killing four University of Idaho students, won’t take place in Moscow.

Judge John Judge of Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District in Latah County granted Kohberger’s request for a venue change out of Moscow, handing the defense the biggest win to date in the legal process ahead of his murder trial scheduled to start in June 2025.

Judge’s ruling came about a week after an all-day hearing in Moscow for arguments over whether to move the trial. His Friday order published to a public courts website Monday morning.

“The interest of justice requires that the trial be moved to a venue with the resources, both in terms of personnel and space, necessary to effectively and efficiently handle a trial of this magnitude and length so that the parties and the court can focus on the case and not on peripheral issues,” Judge wrote.

The Latah County Courthouse would be inconvenient for a number of reasons, and also present potential safety risks if the trial were maintained in Moscow, he added.

Per Idaho’s criminal rules, Judge left the decision of the trial location — and the assigned judge — to the Idaho Supreme Court. The five-justice panel will issue a final order to answer those questions at a later date.

Prosecutors opposed a venue change, arguing it was not “necessary or convenient,” which are elements that must be met to justify moving a trial, according to Idaho criminal rules. The defense, meanwhile, alleged the level of pretrial publicity in the case — most of it prejudicial against Kohberger — meant he couldn’t get a fair trial in the community where the crime took place.

“The traumatized town of Moscow is understandably filled with deeply held prejudgment opinions of guilt,” Kohberger’s defense wrote in an August court filing. “Latah County mob mentality will never produce a (jury pool) that results in a cross section of the community.”

Kohberger, 29, is accused of killing the U of I students, and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. The victims were Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 20, and Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted by a jury. His defense last week filed a number of challenges to remove capital punishment as a possible sentence, and a court hearing on the issue is scheduled for Nov. 7 in Moscow.

At the venue change hearing late last month, Judge called his choice over whether to move Kohberger’s trial “probably, professionally, the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make.”

“I know there are a lot of considerations, practical in terms of logistics, and prejudicial media. So I have, I have some work to do,” he told the court. “That’s going to take me a little bit of time, and go through the law again, including the rule itself and the interpretation of that. So I’ll do my best. It’s a challenge.”