Bryan Kohberger's defense, prosecutors to clash over evidence in conference before trial
Bryan Kohberger's defense team and prosecutors will discuss which evidence can be admitted during a pretrial hearing on Thursday morning ahead of August's trial.
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A former prosecutor said that Bryan Kohberger's defense team is "struggling" after his defense team claimed they have evidence that an alternate suspect.
Former federal prosecutor and current trial attorney Andrea Lewis said she doesn't believe Judge Steven Hippler will allow the defense to claim there was an alternate suspect.
"Look what we've seen from the defense so far in this case. They are struggling here. The evidence is overwhelming, so this is really no surprise," Lewis said. "I do not believe that the judge is going to allow this in.
Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom at the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow, Idaho on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (August Frank/ Lewiston Tribune)
Judge Steven Hippler has ended the public portion of Thursday's hearing and moved into a private session following a lunch break.
Another hearing is scheduled for June 18 regarding evidence relating to a claim of an alternate suspect by Bryan Kohberger's lawyers.
Judge Steven Hippler of Idaho's 4th Judicial District in Ada County. (Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Judge Steven Hippler dismissed the court for a one-hour lunch break on Thursday afternoon.
Hippler spent the morning discussing trial specifics with Bryan Kohberger's defense team and prosecutors.
Judge Steven Hippler said that jurors will consider what penalty to impose directly after the trial if Bryan Kohberger is found guilty.
Hippler said during the hearing on Thursday that jurors will consider whether to impose the death penalty or life in prison without parole, if Kohberger is found guilty.
The trial is expected to last several months.
Hippler previously ruled that Kohberger's diagnosed autism doesn't preclude him from the death penalty.
Bryan Kohberger appears in court in Moscow, Idaho on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Kohberger appeared in court today in an attempt to overturn his grand jury indictment for the 2022 murders of four college students in their home. (Kai Eiselein/Pool)
Bryan Kohberger's quadruple murder trial will be livestreamed, Judge Steven Hippler said during Thursday's hearing.
Hippler said there will be cameras pointed at the podium, counsel table, witness stand and the bench. He added there won't be any production of the video stream, meaning there will be no zooming in and out.
The trial, scheduled to begin Aug. 11, will run Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except on days when court isn't scheduled.
Hippler also agreed to a request from prosecutors to shut down the livestream when the surviving roommates are testifying.
Bryan Kohberger's defense team has submitted an "offer of proof" of an alternative perpetrator, according to Judge Steven Hippler.
Hippler said the filing will be sealed.
During Thursday's hearing, Hippler also asked defense attorneys for additional evidence to support the allegations of an alternative perpetrator.
Hippler gave Kohberger's defense attorneys until May 23 to provide additional evidence.
Bryan Kohberger, accused of murder, arrives for a hearing on cameras in the courtroom in Latah County District Court on September 13, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger, a former criminology PhD student, was indicted earlier this year in the November 2022 killings of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, in an off-campus apartment near the University of Idaho. (Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty Images)
Prosecutors and Bryan Kohberger's defense team will discuss what evidence is admitted ahead of August's trial.
Prosecutors are seeking to admit police records, including search warrants, Kohberger's purchasing records, phone logs, surveillance footage from near the crime scene, a term paper Kohberger wrote concerning crime scenes, and more.
On Wednesday, both sides were supposed to submit a log of final exhibits that well be presented during the trial. Kohberger's defense team was also ordered to submit a list of expert rebuttal witnesses that will be used, if convicted, to the court on Wednesday.
A judge ordered Kohberger's defense team to present an "offer of proof" of an alternative perpetrator by Wednesday, if they choose to make that argument during the trial, which begins on Aug. 11.
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