Bryan Kohberger: Father of Idaho murders victim says she was ‘trapped’ as judge considers camera ban

Follow all the latest updates on Bryan Kohberger’s case

Bryan Kohberger is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing on the latest in the murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student will appear in Latah County Court at 2pm local time on Wednesday where Judge John Judge will hear arguments on a motion to ban cameras in the courtroom.

Mr Kohberger’s defence team asked the judge to bar cameras from the courtroom, claiming that the media coverage violated his constitutional rights.

Last week, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson responded to the motion with his own concerns and requested the judge remove cameras “at a minimum” during the “sensitive testimony of a number of young and vulnerable witnesses.”

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Bryan Kohberger is seeking to ban cameras from his high-profile trial after bizarrely claiming that the media is honing in on his crotch.

The former criminal justice PhD student filed a motion on 24 August asking Judge John Judge to toss cameras from the courtroom.

In the defence motion, his attorney Anne Taylor argued that past footage from his court appearances had focused heavily on his crotch.

Weeks later, the prosecution joined the effort, but for a different reason. They said there is concern that cameras “will have a substantial chilling effect on the ability of witnesses to openly, fully and candidly testify about some horrible occurrences.”

A hearing on banning cameras from the courtroom will be held at 2pm on Wednesday.

Rachel Sharp reports...

The bodies of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found 13 November 2022 at their off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.

The slayings shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where suspect Bryan Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University.

Goncalves and Mogen, both 21, were seniors at the University of Idaho and were expected to graduate this year.

Kernodle and Chapin were juniors at the college and had begun dating months before their deaths. The couple of 20-year-olds is believed to have been awake at the time the stabbings were carried out.

Six months after the stabbings, the families of the slain students accepted posthumous awards for their achievements.

Mogen and Goncalves’ relatives walked across the stage for their degrees in an emotional ceremony on 13 May. Kernodle’s family also accepted her certificate in marketing at a separate ceremony while Chapin’s award in sports, recreation and management was mailed to his parents.

The families of two of the victims in last year’s Idaho killings are pushing back against Bryan Kohberger’s motion to ban cameras in the courtroom for his trial.

In a statement to NewsNation’s Brian Entin, the families of Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle said “this case is surrounded by secrecy” with “everything being redacted or sealed” - and that “it is important the trial be viewed publicly.”

“It is important to the victims family, relatives, community members and the public that this veil of secrecy be lifted at the trial,” the statement reads. “This not only ensures accountability for all the parties involved but also helps the public maintain its faith in the justice system.”

Both the Kohberger defense and prosecution filed motions to have cameras removed from the courtroom. The hearing to hear arguments on the motions will be held Wednesday in Latah County, Idaho.

Latah County District Judge John Judge will hear arguments on Wednesday regarding cameras in the courtroom in the case against Bryan Kohberger.

Mr Kohberger’s defence attorneys filed a motion last month to ban cameras from proceedings arguing the media coverage is hurting their client’s right to a fair trial and cites “sensationalistic and prejudicial headlines and content.”

The motion states the content “gradually poisons the potential jury pool prior to trial even occurring, winnowing the number of jurors able to render a just, unbiased verdict.”

Last week, prosecutors filed a motion siding with the defence and said they believe cameras in the courtroom “will have a substantial chilling effect on the ability of witnesses to openly, fully and candidly testify about some horrible occurrences.”

Kohberger was on a long drive by himself around the time of the slayings of the four college students last November, his defence team wrote in a court filing last month.

It’s the first time Kohberger has said anything about his whereabouts that night.

“Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone. Often he would go for drives at night,” his defence attorney, Anne Taylor, wrote. “He did so late on November 12 and into November 13, 2022.”

According to the court document, Mr Kohberger isn’t claiming to be in any specific location at any specific time, and may have witnesses who can corroborate that he wasn’t at the home where the students were killed.

Idaho law requires that defendants notify the prosecution if they intend to present an alibi defence, The Associated Press reported.

Former high school administrator Tanya Carmella-Beers discussed with The Idaho Massacre podcast last month issues with Mr Kohberger when he attended the programme at the Monroe Career and Technical Institute.

“A complaint was made, and the teacher reported it to me, and said, ‘You know, this is not something we can have,’” Ms Carmella-Beers said.

“An investigation needed to be conducted. Other students were interviewed. Bryan was interviewed. And there comes a time when decisions have to be made, whether it’s the decision the student wants or not.”

Mr Kohberger was kicked out of the law enforcement programme and transferred to the heating, ventilation and air condition course instead before leaving the school.

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Bryan Kohberger’s name has been in headlines across America since police swooped in on his parents’ home in December and arrested him for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

There are people from Mr Kohberger’s past who have painted a picture of a bullied loner who overcame addiction.

Meanwhile, fellow students from his time as a PhD criminology student at Washington State University describe him as a criminology zealot who “creeped people out”.

With the 28-year-old now facing the death penalty in the case, The Independent asks: Who really is Bryan Kohberger?

Sheila Flynn has more:

Just days after Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial, delaying it indefinitely, defence attorneys for the Idaho murders suspect filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him.

The motion was filed “on grounds of a biased grand jury, inadmissible evidence, lack of sufficient evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct by withholding exculpatory evidence.”

The 28-year-old is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one charge of felony burglary related to the November 2022 killings of four college students.

A hearing on the motion to dismiss has been set for 22 September.