Trial of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger moved to Boise

The murder trial of Bryan Kohberger will be moved to Boise, the Idaho Supreme Court announced Thursday.

The court's decision to relocate the trial came days after Idaho Second District Judge John C. Judge agreed with defense attorneys that Kohberger could not be given a fair trial in Moscow, where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their sleep on November 13, 2022.

Citing intense media coverage of the case and statements from city officials, Judge agreed to postpone the trial on Monday but did not specify a date.

On Thursday, the Idaho Supreme Court set the state capital of Boise, about 300 miles south of Moscow, as the venue for his trial, with Fourth District Judge Steve Hippler presiding.

The Ada County Courthouse in Boise has larger facilities, from courtrooms to security checkpoints and witness protection routes, the court said in its order, and is much better suited to a trial of this magnitude than the smaller courthouse in Latah County, where the trial was originally scheduled to take place.

Kohberger is accused of murdering Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in their off-campus home. The crime shocked the small, tight-knit community. A judge entered a not guilty plea on Kohberger's behalf after he failed to answer when asked to do so last year.

Prosecutors pushed back against such a move, saying concerns could be addressed by having a larger jury and more thorough scrutiny of jurors. By comparison, they said, a trial 300 miles away would make it harder for lawyers, witnesses, victims' families and others to attend.

Goncalves' family had voted against moving the trial and said in a statement on Monday that they were “incredibly disappointed” by the change in venue, CBS News reported.

The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2025.