New Information in Bryan Kohberger Case to Be Made Public
January 29, 2025
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The court plans to release redacted transcripts from the closed portion of a hearing in the Bryan Kohberger case.
Why It Matters
Kohberger, 30, is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Bryan Kohberger listens to arguments during a hearing on October 26, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Bryan Kohberger listens to arguments during a hearing on October 26, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kai Eiselein/New York Post via AP, Pool, File
What To Know
Kohberger was in court on Thursday for a motions hearing, several hours of which took place behind closed doors.
On Monday, District Judge Steven Hippler ordered the court reporter assigned to the hearing to prepare a “verbatim” transcript of the closed portion. The prosecution and defense have 14 days to identify the parts that should be redacted from the public.
The order comes after several media organizations requested access to closed hearings in the case.
ABC News, the Associated Press, The Washington Post, The New York Times and several other outlets filed a motion to be heard ahead of a closed hearing on January 21. The petitioners asked for an opportunity to raise objections to the closure of the hearing “and any other subsequent hearings.”
The media organizations renewed the motion ahead of Thursday’s proceedings.
What Is the Latest Update on Bryan Kohberger?
During the public portion of the hearing, the prosecution and defense presented arguments on evidence-related motions.
The defense filed motions to suppress large portions of evidence ahead of the coming trial, including DNA taken from the crime scene, items seized by police from Kohberger’s car and college apartment and information from his cellphone and online footprint.
Hippler took those motions under advisement.
Who Is Bryan Kohberger?
At the time of the killings, Kohberger, a Pennsylvania native, was pursuing a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University. The university’s campus in Pullman, Washington, is less than eight miles from Moscow.
Kohberger was also a teaching assistant at the school. He was terminated from the role about two weeks before his arrest.
What People Are Saying
Attorney Wendy J. Olson, in a memorandum accompanying the motion to be heard filed by media organizations: “It is this openness that the Interested Parties seek to ensure so that they can play their vital role as ‘surrogates for the public’ in providing an accurate and unbiased depiction of the upcoming criminal proceedings for which Idaho and its people are deeply concerned about.”
What Happens Next
Hippler said the court will release the transcript to the public after the redactions are submitted.
Kohberger’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 11, with jury selection to start in late July.
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