Topline
Bryan Kohberger, who is suspected of killing four University of Idaho students last year, reportedly waived his right to a speedy trial on Wednesday, pushing back the trial start date that had been set for October 2.
Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for a hearing, Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, at the Latah County … [+] Courthouse in Moscow., Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, and waived his right to a speedy trial on Aug. 23, 2023. (August Frank/The Lewiston Tribune via AP, Pool)
Key Facts
Kohberger’s decision to waive his right to a speedy trial—which indefinitely postpones the start of the trial—comes less than a week after a judge set a deadline in September for him to make such a decision, the Idaho Statesman reported.
If criminal defendants don’t waive their right, it’s required by Idaho law they have a trial date within six months of their arraignment; Kohberger was arraigned on May 22.
Local news station KXLY reported prosecutors accepted Kohberger’s request and said they would prefer to resolve the case sooner but want both sides to be prepared.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Kohberger, who is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary related to the killings of four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022.
Key Background
Four University of Idaho students—Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen—were stabbed to death in an off-campus home in the small college town of Moscow. Kohberger, a Ph.D. student in Washington State University’s criminal justice program, was arrested in December for their murders and later extradited back to Idaho from his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. Police linked Kohberger to the case after DNA collected from his parents’ home matched DNA uncovered on a knife sheath found at the scene of the crime. However, his defense attorneys have since claimed that DNA from multiple other unidentified men was found in the house, as well. The attack on the students attracted national attention as law enforcement didn’t announce leads, suspects or a profile of the presumed killer for weeks, and they contradicted their own statements regarding whether the attack was targeted. Kohberger has been in custody for eight months since his arrest while awaiting trial.
Chief Critic
In a comment on a post on their Facebook page, the Goncalves family wrote they were worried Kohberger would waive his rights to a speedy trial, saying if he does “it is very likely that (the trial) won’t take place for years.” The comment continued: “We want to get this trial over. Just thinking it could be years absolutely kills me.”
Further Reading
MORE FROM FORBESProsecutors Seeking Death Penalty For Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan KohbergerBy Molly BohannonKXLY kxly.comMoscow Murders suspect waives right to speedy trial delaying the trial start dateIdaho StatesmanKohberger murder trial delayed after Moscow suspect waives right to speedy trial
