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Bryan Kohberger’s legal team was expected to attend a closed hearing remotely on Wednesday to present arguments to the judge on several motions.
Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus residence in Moscow in 2022.
In a notice for the hearing, the defense said it would make oral arguments in support of ex parte motions in front of District Judge Steven Hippler, who is presiding over the case. An ex parte motion is a legal request presented to the court by one party without the other being present.
The notice stated that the hearing would be held at 2:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday or as soon as Hippler becomes available after that time. The content of the ex parte motions is unclear.
August Frank/Lewiston Tribune via AP
The defense filed a motion on November 26 to seal the defense’s amended memorandum and exhibits supporting a Franks hearing. A Franks hearing is held to determine whether an affidavit used to obtain a search warrant contains accurate information.
Anne Taylor, Kohberger’s attorney, said she filed the motion because “the documents contain facts or statements that might threaten or endanger the life or safety of individuals.”
She said sealing the documents would help ensure Kohberger’s right to a fair trial, and disclosing the information would create “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”
The prosecution did not object to the motion.
Hippler ordered the defense to amend the memorandum. He said the defense filed 38 exhibits, amounting to over 2,000 pages.
“Unfortunately, Defendant’s memorandum largely fails to identify with particularity the relevant portions of the exhibits, instead referring simply to the exhibit number without identifying the precise pages at issue,” Hippler said. “Thus, the Court is left with the unenviable task of sifting through pages and pages of largely irrelevant documents to ascertain what portion Defendant may be referring to.”
Kohberger’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 11, 2025, with jury selection on July 31. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 23.
Kohberger remains in custody at Ada County Jail in Boise and is awaiting trial. He is facing the death penalty if convicted.
The defense raised several objections to capital punishment, including the state’s criteria for the death penalty, changing public opinion and international law. Hippler ruled against all of the defense’s arguments on November 20.
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