The alleged University of Idaho killer scored a key legal victory.
A judge agreed to change the venue of Bryan Kohlberger's quadruple murder trial yesterday. Judge John Judge said there is "reasonable likelihood" to believe Kohlberger would not receive a fair trial in Latah County, where the school is located; he also concluded the county lacks the resources to accommodate such high-profile proceedings.
Kohlberger, 29, faces the death penalty in the grisly stabbing murders of four students at an off-campus house in Nov. 2022. The killings have generated a significant amount of national media attention (and speculation). Kohberger was seeking a doctorate in criminology at nearby Washington State University; he was arrested about a month after the murders at his parents' home in Pennsylvania.
An administrative director will now determine the new venue. Kohlberger's attorneys want the trial moved to Boise, the state's capital and biggest city. The trial is scheduled to begin June 2, 2025 and last about three months. Prosecutors say they have DNA evidence and cellphone records connecting Kohlberger to the crime; his attorneys say he has an alibi.
