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Bryan Kohberger's defense wants to move murder case to the district where cult mother Lori Vallow was tried to avoid “riot and unrest”

BRYAN Kohberger's lawyers will argue today that his trial must be moved to another district after potential jurors warned of riots and “good old justice” if he is found not guilty.

If a judge grants her request at Thursday's hearing, Kohberger could be tried in the same city where cult mother Lori Vallow was convicted of the double murder of her children.

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Bryan Kohberger (pictured) will appear in court today as his team asks a judge to change the venue of his trialPhoto credit: AP
Kohberger is awaiting trial for the alleged murder of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin

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Kohberger is awaiting trial for the alleged murder of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan ChapinPhoto credit: Instagram/kayleegoncalves
Kohberger's defense team has asked the judge to move the case to the same district where Lori Vallow (pictured) was tried

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Kohberger's defense team has asked the judge to move the case to the same district where Lori Vallow (pictured) was triedPhoto credit: AP
The murder trials of Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell took place in Ada County, Idaho, where the state capital, Boise, is located.

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The murder trials of Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell took place in Ada County, Idaho, where the state capital, Boise, is located.Photo credit: AP

Kohberger, 29, was charged with killing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin as they slept in their off-campus home on November 13, 2022.

Judge John Judge will hear arguments today from Kohberger's team arguing for the trial to be moved far away from Latah County, where the university is located.

His trial is currently scheduled for June 2025, but that date has not been confirmed and it is unclear whether this push to relocate the site could affect the schedule.

In May 2023, a plea of ​​not guilty was entered in Kohberger's favor to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

READ MORE ABOUT BRYAN KOHBERGER

If the jury finds him guilty, he could face the death penalty.

Kohberger's legal team argued that his case should be heard in Ada County, where the state capital of Boise is located, about a five-hour drive from Latah County.

The defense cited an apparent “mob mentality” in the university area and based its claims on survey responses.

The poll asked potential jurors what they thought would happen if Kohberger was not convicted.

“There would probably be a riot and he wouldn't last long outside because someone would give the good old boy the punishment he deserved,” said one of those interviewed.

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

Bryan Kohberger insists in his alibi application that the phone records will prove he was not in the Moscow home during the Idaho murders

“They would burn down the courthouse. Outrage would be a mild description,” wrote another person from Latah County.

His defense compared these to the diverse responses of the people in Ada County.

“They would carry on with their lives as before,” one person said.

“I don’t know if there would be particularly strong feelings,” said another.

Timeline of the University of Idaho murders

On November 13, 2022, a brutal break-in claimed the lives of four University of Idaho students.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

A six-week manhunt for a suspect followed.

On December 28, 2022, 29-year-old Bryan Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania – 2,500 miles from the crime scene.

He was taken into custody and charged with four counts of premeditated murder.

Kohberger, a former criminal justice student at Washington State University, was linked to the crime scene through phone records, the location of his car and DNA evidence found in the house where the murders took place.

Despite backlash from the victims' families, the house was demolished in December 2023.

Kohberger is being held in the Latah County Jail while he awaits trial.

The Vallow Argument

His legal team pointed to the two recent, high-profile cases of doomsday author Chad Daybell and his wife Lori Vallow, whose cases were moved from Fremont County to Ada County.

The couple was found guilty of killing Vallow's two children, JJ and Tylee.

In order to find impartial jurors, her trial was postponed.

COMEBACK OF THE PROSECUTORS

According to Fox News, Idaho prosecutors in the Kohberger case have filed a signed statement objecting to the motion to change the venue.

Latah County Attorney Bill Thompson and Assistant Attorney General Ingrid Bately argued that the survey results did not justify the change.

They also questioned the validity of the survey.

These prosecutors claimed that the persons interviewed were not given any explanation for the questions asked to them.

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