Bryan Kohberger will appear in court on Thursday for a motion hearing surrounding DNA and other key evidence in the case.

Why It Matters

Kohberger, 30, is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022.

The last public hearing in the case was held on November 7, 2024. Since then, two closed hearings were held, including one on Tuesday.

What To Know

Kohberger’s attorneys are asking the judge to dismiss large amounts of evidence in the case, including DNA taken from Kohberger that prosecutors say matches samples collected from the crime scene; items seized by police from his car, college apartment and parents’ home; and information from his cellphone and online footprint.

The defense is arguing that evidence should be excluded from the upcoming trial due to alleged police misconduct.

In a November 2024 motion, Kohberger’s attorneys alleged that law enforcement officials “intentionally or recklessly omitted” evidence in an affidavit used to obtain search warrants.

The prosecution and defense are also expected to discuss another motion filed that month, asking the judge to block the admission of genetic information as evidence. While the memorandum and exhibits were filed under seal, the portions of the filing made available to the public said the evidence was “illegally gathered” and violated the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

Prosecutors have objected to the defense’s efforts to suppress evidence.

The debate centers around Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), a method of analyzing DNA using public ancestry databases to identify potential suspects

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said IGG was used to narrow down a list of potential suspects, but traditional investigative techniques were used to build the case against Kohberger.

What People Are Saying

Defense attorney Jay Weston Logsdon, in a November 2024 motion: “Without IGG, there is no case, no request for his phone records, surveillance of his parents’ home, no DNA taken from the garbage on his driveway, in a gated community, under a garbage collection ordinance. Because the IGG analysis is the origin of this matter, everything in the affidavit should be excised.”

Thompson, in a June 2023 motion: “The IGG process pointed law enforcement toward Defendant, but it did not provide law enforcement with substantive evidence of guilt.”

What Happens Next

Kohberger remains in custody at Ada County Jail in Boise, Idaho, as he awaits trial. He is facing the death penalty if convicted.

What’s the status of the Idaho college murders trial?

Kohberger’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 11, with jury selection to start in late July.

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