Update on Bryan Kohberger: Defense requests relocation of murder trial at Idaho college, lawyers claim “mob mentality” at current trial venue

MOSCOW, Idaho — Brian Kohberger's lawyers are calling for a postponement of his trial, citing a “mob mentality” in the city where four college students were killed.

Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home in 2022.

The defense requested that the case be moved out of town, saying in a recent memorandum that it could not get a fair trial in Latah County because of the “inflammatory” publicity.

Kohberger's lawyers are citing a survey they conducted among potential jurors.

However, prosecutors rejected this argument in a statement and said the court could take other measures to ensure a fair trial.

On March 22, the judge halted the investigations conducted by the defense team, leading to discussions on the matter during hearings on April 4 and 10. However, a continuation was later permitted “without changes.”

The judge ruled that most of the survey questions did not violate the court's secrecy order in the case. Many of the questions included in the defense surveys came from the probable cause affidavit, which was not sealed in the case, the judge argued.

The documents represent the latest developments ahead of Kohberger's quadruple murder trial, which is scheduled to begin in June 2025.

It has been a long and rocky road since the four students – Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen – were fatally stabbed on the night of November 13, 2022 in a house not far from the school's main campus in Moscow, Idaho.

Kohberger, a criminology doctoral student at Washington State University, was arrested on December 30, 2022, in his home state of Pennsylvania for the murders. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf in May 2023, and his lawyers have indicated that the 29-year-old intends to present an alibi as part of his defense. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.

The case's progress was slowed by a series of motions and pre-trial hearings that frustrated both the family of one of the victims and the judge overseeing the case.

The hearings essentially fall into several categories. One concerns the defense's access to evidence, particularly the way the prosecution used genetic genealogy in its evidence. A second set of hearings concerns Kohberger's proposed alibi for his innocence. Third, there were a number of hearings related to a news gag order that limits the parties in what they can say publicly about the case.

ABC News contributed to this report.