Attorneys representing Bryan Kohberger, the individual charged with fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in 2022, intend to utilize cell phone tower data to demonstrate his absence from the murder scene, as per a recent court submission.
Kohberger stands accused of the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in mid-November 2022 at a residence in Moscow, Idaho, the location of the university. The residence has since been razed.
Legal papers outlining an alibi for Kohberger indicated that he "was driving in the early hours of November 13, 2022, a routine practice for him to engage in activities like hiking, running, or stargazing. He traversed the region to the south of Pullman, Washington, and to the west of Moscow, Idaho, including Wawawai Park."
The filing mentioned that an expert in cell site location information will affirm that the cell tower records indicate "Kohberger's mobile device was situated to the south of Pullman, Washington, and to the west of Moscow, Idaho on November 13, 2022; his device did not proceed eastbound on the Moscow-Pullman Highway during the early hours of November 13th, thereby ruling out the possibility of his vehicle being the one captured on camera near Floyd's Cannabis shop along the Moscow-Pullman highway."
A previous affidavit stated investigators had found cell tower data from that morning which showed Kohberger's phone in Pullman around 2:47 a.m. the night of the murders, at which point it suddenly stopped connecting to the cell network, according to "48 Hours
At the time of his arrest, about six weeks after the murders, Kohberger was a Ph.D. criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University's Pullman campus, about a 15-minute drive from Moscow. Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania.
Wednesday's notice of defense alibi also said more information about Kohberger's location the night of the murders "will be provided once the State provides discovery requested and now subject to an upcoming Motion to Compel. If not disclosed, [the expert's] testimony will also reveal that critical exculpatory evidence, further corroborating Mr. Kohberger's alibi, was either not preserved or has been withheld."
Kohberger's attorney has also asked for a change of venue, The Associated Press reported, arguing he would not be given a fair trial in the area where the murders took place.
Due to the extensive pretrial publicity and inflammatory allegations made about Mr. Kohberger in Latah County, attorney Anne Taylor argues that a fair and impartial jury cannot be found. The media coverage of the alleged crimes, the small community size, and the severity of the charges further complicate the situation. A hearing on the change of venue motion is scheduled for May 14, 2024.
Mr. Kohberger faces four counts of murder in connection with the stabbing deaths of students. At his arraignment, he did not enter a plea, leading the judge to enter not guilty pleas on his behalf. Prosecutors have indicated that they will pursue the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
