Amid a recent court appearance, the lawyer representing Bryan Kohberger, the individual charged with the murder of four students at the University of Idaho in November 2022, alleged that the prosecution was holding back information from the defense team.
While arguing for the public disclosure of two upcoming hearings scheduled for May 14 and 16, Kohberger's chief attorney Anne Taylor claimed that the Latah County prosecutors had not furnished the defense with a complete video purportedly showing Kohberger's vehicle near the location where the four students lost their lives. Taylor mentioned that the defense team had only received fragmented portions of the video, which is detailed in the probable cause affidavit used for Kohberger's arrest, and highlighted that the video lacked audio.
"This is the video that supposedly positions this car close to the residence. We've only been given small snippets of that, and we believe that Bryan's entitlement to a fair trial necessitates the public's awareness that the audio has been withheld from a significant portion of the video, which also begins well before the brief clip we obtained," Taylor remarked, further accusing the prosecutors of keeping the defense "isolated to manipulate the narrative."
Taylor's argument was that Kohberger's case should remain public. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ashley Jennings countered by stating that while the trial itself would be public, not all hearings should be held in an open forum due to the sensitive nature of the information being discussed. It was mentioned that three previous hearings had been public.
"I would note for the record, we had one (public) hearing regarding motions to compel ... We discussed one request and it had to do with training records. That's not what we're contemplating discussing at this hearing on the 14th," Jennings explained.
As per CBS affiliate KREM, the upcoming hearings will focus on the potential relocation of Kohberger's trial from Latah County. Kohberger's legal team has previously expressed concerns that the "inflammatory" publicity surrounding the case would hinder his chance of receiving a fair trial.
Judge John ruled that the upcoming hearings will be conducted behind closed doors. The family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the students who lost their lives, expressed frustration over the prolonged legal process.
"This banter has been going on for 17 months. Then once you get a hearing, you have a hearing about the decision that was made at that hearing before the last hearing and there needs to be another hearing," the family stated. "This case is turning into a hamster wheel of motions, hearings, and delayed decisions."
A court date for Kohberger, who opted out of his right to a speedy trial in August 2024, has yet to be scheduled.
He has been detained in Latah County Jail since May 2023.
