Bryan Kohberger, accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, has been transferred by plane from Latah County to Ada County for his upcoming trial. The change of venue was ordered by the state Supreme Court due to concerns about jury bias in Latah County. The trial is scheduled for next June in Boise.
Latah County District Judge John Judge ruled in favor of moving the trial, citing the intense pretrial publicity and the small population of Latah County, making it more likely that potential jurors would have connections to the case. Ada County, with a population of about half a million people, was selected as the new venue.
The case will be reassigned to a new district judge, Steven Hippler, who will have to decide whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. Kohberger’s defense argues that capital punishment would violate the U.S. Constitution.
Kohberger was arrested more than a month after the four students were fatally stabbed at an apartment house near the University of Idaho campus. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. The motive has not been publicly confirmed.
Some of the victims’ families have expressed frustration over the trial’s delay but are optimistic that justice will be served. The trial is expected to include DNA evidence, cellphone data, and security videos linking Kohberger to the crime.
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