MOSCOW, Idaho – Investigators and the prosecution in the trial of Bryan Kohberger are returning to the house on King Road, where four University of Idaho students were murdered last November.
The victims, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves, were stabbed to death in their off-campus housing. Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30 last year at his family home in Pittsburgh and was later indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. After waiving his right to a speedy trial in August, a tentative trial date was set for Oct. 2, 2023. However, the trial is now postponed indefinitely.
Prosecutors and investigators, and sometimes even the jury in a trial, will often walk through a crime scene to examine evidence or recreate the scene to gather more details. The prior start date in early October meant any measurements and data gathered from a walkthrough could not have been used to create visual displays in time for trial.
With the extended timeline, FBI will be on scene Oct. 31-Nov. 1 to gather documentation to construct visual and audio exhibits and a physical model of the King Road house.
The plywood put up to secure the windows and doors of the house will be removed, and a specialized team will begin work immediately. The house will be resecured once investigators are finished. The families of the victims and survivors have been notified by the prosecutor’s office.
The University intends to demolish the house once the trial concludes. Given the indefinite start date, it will not happen this semester.
