Potential jurors warn that the public could “burn down the courthouse” in the Kohberger case

A new brief from Bryan Kohberger's defense team says potential jurors expected violence in the streets if the alleged killer was acquitted at trial.

Kohberger is accused of brutally murdering Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves in their home near the University of Idaho. Kohberger was arrested six weeks after the students were stabbed to death.

Kohberger's defense team is fighting to postpone the trial, which is currently scheduled to begin in June 2025 in Latah County. The defense team conducted a telephone survey of hundreds of potential jurors and asked them many questions about their knowledge of the case.

Prosecutors then argued that the murders had attracted such great attention and that media coverage had been so “extensive and comprehensive” that postponing the trial was unlikely to produce jurors unfamiliar with the case.

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Kohberger's defense filed a response, arguing that during their survey, Latah County residents admitted their own bias in their answers to the question about what would happen if the defendant was not convicted.

“They would burn down the courthouse. Outrage would be a mild description.”

“They would probably find him and kill him.”

“There would probably be a riot and he wouldn't last long outside because someone would give the good old boy his just punishment.”

“Riots, the parents would take care of him.”

In comparison, potential jurors surveyed in Ada County gave very different answers to the same question.

“They would carry on with their lives as usual.”

“I think they would take it well.”

“I don't know if there would be super strong feelings.”

The defense filing also references two recent cases: the trials of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell, whose trials were moved from Fremont County to Ada County for publicity reasons.

The motion is scheduled to be discussed at a hearing on August 29.

This story was originally published by Lauren Silver at CourtTV.