Idaho Prosecutors Reject Bryan Kohberger's Motion to Move Trial Out of Latah County

Murder In The Morning | Daily True Crime News

Idaho prosecutors have formally objected to the defense’s request to move the trial of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, out of Latah County. The defense argued that extensive pre-trial publicity in Latah County, where the slayings occurred, would prevent Kohberger from receiving a fair trial. However, prosecutors contended that moving the trial would be both unnecessary and inconvenient, given the widespread media coverage throughout the state.
In a filing made public on Tuesday evening, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and special assistant attorney general Ingrid Batey opposed the motion, which sought to relocate the trial to Ada County, over 300 miles away from where the murders took place. "Defendant has filed a motion to change venue, requesting that the trial in this matter be moved from Latah County—where the offenses took place—to Ada County, some 300 miles away," the prosecutors wrote. They argued that Kohberger’s team had failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the move.
The defense team, representing Kohberger, who is charged with the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, cited “inflammatory” and ongoing publicity in Latah County as the primary reason for the requested change of venue. According to a July filing from the defense, "A fair and impartial jury cannot be found in Latah County because of the extensive publicity that is ongoing and inflammatory. The inflammatory nature of the publicity has included inaccurate information and inadmissible information."
The defense conducted a survey of potential jurors across four Idaho counties—Latah, Ada, Canyon, and Bannock—arguing that the results supported their claim that a fair trial was not possible in Latah County. However, prosecutors refuted this, stating that the survey data did not demonstrate that Latah County’s jury pool was uniquely tainted. Instead, they argued that "pervasive and wide-ranging coverage of this case throughout the entire State of Idaho has led to high case recognition among survey respondents across all four surveyed counties."
Prosecutors further asserted that moving the trial would disrupt the judicial process and inconvenience numerous witnesses and parties involved in the case. They stated, "The court should decline to relocate itself, the state, and scores of witnesses hundreds of miles only to face another jury pool with similarly high media exposure."
The legal battle over the trial’s location is one of several pre-trial disputes in the case, which has garnered significant national attention. The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2025, nearly three years after the brutal stabbings of the four students in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
The defense has continued to argue that media coverage in the small university town has been particularly intense and detrimental to Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. However, prosecutors maintain that media coverage alone does not warrant moving the trial to a distant county, especially when the entire state has been exposed to similar levels of reporting on the case.
Kohberger, a former Washington State University graduate student, has been in custody since his arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
As the trial date approaches, both sides will continue to prepare, with the question of the trial’s location being a key issue that could shape the proceedings. The court has yet to rule on the motion to change venue, and it remains to be seen whether the trial will remain in Latah County or be moved to another part of Idaho.
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