Bryan Kohberger’s attorneys cast doubt on probable cause in Kohberger’s case last month, noting that two DNA samples remain unidentified years after four University of Idaho students were murdered in 2022.
The Idaho Statesman reported that two blood samples found in the Moscow home belong to two males whose identities remain a mystery. Kohberger’s attorneys also noted that there was DNA on a glove outside the home which is also unidentified.
The kind of DNA recovered from the glove was not disclosed during last month’s hearing.
Prosecutors said Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath located near Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves’ bodies — an issue Ada County Judge Steven Hippler pressed during last month’s hearing.
“How does that, even if disclosed, preclude a finding of probable cause when there’s a DNA match between the DNA on the sheath and Mr. Kohberger?” Hippler asked the defense, according to the Idaho Statesman. “Isn’t that probable cause every day and twice on Sunday?”
Additionally, the defense claimed that prosecutors withheld evidence about the unidentified DNA samples so that a judge would sign off on Kohberger’s arrest warrant.
In September, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Boise, in Ada County. The trial’s venue was changed after the state supreme court upheld a ruling identifying publicity and media attention concerns that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Further, the courts noted that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.
Kohberger, a former Washington State University student, is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Mogen, and Goncalves on November 13, 2022, at an off-campus home near the school.
Kohberger’s attorneys have claimed Kohberger was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone the night the four students were fatally stabbed at the women’s off-campus home.
Mogen was found dead in bed next to Goncalves, and a knife sheath was reportedly discovered near their bodies. Downstairs, on the second floor, Kernodle was found slain next to Chapin, her boyfriend. Two surviving roommates discovered the bodies and called the cops.
Police claimed Kohberger visited the area 12 times before the slayings and that he turned off his phone on the night in question.
Investigators tested DNA from a trash can outside Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania against DNA found on the sheath at the crime scene. Testing determined that “at least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”
At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was working on his Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University, which is located 10 miles from the crime scene. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022, after taking a cross-country road trip with his father from Washington to Pennsylvania for the holidays.
Latah County will cover financial costs related to the high-profile trial even though it will take place in Ada County. Kohberger’s trial is set to begin in August.
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[Feature Photo: Monroe County police]
