Bryan Kohberger returns to court to fight for postponement of Idaho murder trial

Bryan Kohberger's defense team is expected to argue Thursday for a move of his murder trial elsewhere, arguing that potential jurors have threatened to “burn down the courthouse” if the trial remains in the Idaho community where the brutal killings took place nearly two years ago.

Kohberger's lawyers said in a motion filed last week that they had questioned potential jurors in Latah County who warned of violence and unrest if Kohberger was found not guilty in the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students in 2022.

Those interviewed said they would “burn down the courthouse” and riot if Kohberger went scot-free. Some even said protesters would try to kill him themselves if he was acquitted, court documents show.

Kohbeger is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, in their rental home near the Moscow campus.

Kohberger's defense attorneys pushed for the trial to be moved to another location, claiming that the extensive news coverage of the case prior to the trial and the “mob mentality” of locals angry about the killings would deny him a fair trial.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said the data Kohberger's legal team used to determine the bias of potential jurors was flawed.

According to court documents, prosecutors also objected to the request to move the incident to Ada County, more than 300 miles away.

Prosecutors said the court should refuse to “move itself, the state and dozens of witnesses hundreds of miles just to face another jury pool with cleverly high media exposure.”

“The defendant has failed to fulfill his obligation to prove that a change of location is necessary or expedient in this case,” prosecutors argued in a lawsuit.

Judge John Judge is scheduled to preside over the hearing Thursday morning.

Kohberger is scheduled to go on trial in June 2025.