Global Courant 2023-05-23 12:08:32
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of killing four students in Idaho last year in an early morning assault, chose to “stand still” during his arraignment Monday.
Kohberger, 28, did not respond to the judge when asked for his plea and his lawyer specified that he was “standing still”. By not responding, the judge pleaded not guilty on his behalf.
A trial date was set for October 2.
The prosecution has 60 days to file a notice if they decide to pursue the death penalty.
Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for his hearing at Latah County District Court, May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.
Zach Wilkinson/Pool via Reuters
Kohberger was indicted last week on charges including four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, according to documents filed in Latah County District Court.
Prosecutors allege that Kohberger, a Ph.D. student in Washington State University’s criminal justice and criminology department, broke into a house where six University of Idaho students were staying on November 13, 2022.
He allegedly killed 20-year-old Ethan Chapin; Madison May, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. Two other students who were in the home at the time survived and were not treated as suspects.
In the months following the murders, prosecutors produced evidence, including Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra that allegedly drove past the victims’ homes several times prior to the murders, according to court documents.
Bryan Kohberger, right, appears at a hearing in Latah County District Court on Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.
Pool via Getty Images, FILE
The suspect’s mobile phone was on its way to Moscow, but was turned off from 2:47 a.m. to 4:48 a.m., a time frame during which the murders were committed, police said.
DNA matching Kohberger’s has been found on a knife sheath left on one of the victim’s beds, officials said.
Kohberger, who is from Pennsylvania, drove across the country after the end of the semester. He was arrested December 30 at his parents’ home in the Pocono Mountains. He agreed to be extradited to Idaho in early January.
Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar, who represented Kohberger at the extradition hearing, said in a statement at the time that his client “is pleased to be cleared of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as soon as possible.”
Emily Shapiro, Mary Kekatos, Nadine El-Bawab, Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin of ABC News contributed to this report.
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