Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the murders of four University of Idaho students, has had his attempts to dismiss the indictment against him denied. Kohberger, 29, is facing charges of first-degree murder and burglary for allegedly entering an off-campus rental home and killing four undergraduate students. The victims are Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. At the time of the murders, Kohberger was a Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, located near the crime scene.
Kohberger’s defense team filed two motions earlier this year to dismiss the indictment against him. One of the motions argued that the standard of proof for an indictment should be “beyond a reasonable doubt.” However, Judge John Judge rejected the argument and reiterated that the standard is “probable cause.” He dismissed both motions, clearing hurdles delaying the trial.
In his written statement, the judge said the defense’s argument for a higher standard of proof was “historically interesting and creative,” but it did not overturn Idaho courts’ interpretation of the statute, case law, and Criminal Rules. He added, “the standard for the grand jury to indict is ‘probable cause.’”
Kohberger is currently facing four charges of first-degree murder and a burglary count. He is accused of entering the off-campus rental home in April 2019 and killing the four undergraduates inside. The victims, all Idaho students, were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds. Kohberger was arrested in Texas a few days after the murders and extradited to Idaho.
The suspect’s defense team argued that the indictment should be dismissed due to a lack of evidence and flaws in the grand jury process. However, Judge John Judge denied their requests. The defense had claimed the indictment was based on hearsay, speculation, and conjecture. But the judge said that the grand jury proceedings were proper and that there was sufficient evidence for the charges.
Kohberger’s trial date has not yet been set, but his defense team has indicated that they plan to argue that the suspect has a mental illness that prevented him from understanding the consequences of his actions. They have also suggested they may pursue an insanity defense. The trial is likely to be highly publicized, given the severity of the crimes and the number of victims.