As the trial of Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, approaches, his defense team is drawing comparisons to another high-profile case in the state, the murder trial of “cult mom” Lori Vallow. Kohberger’s defense has asked a Boise judge to punish prosecutors for their handling of discovery in the case, which could potentially lead to the death penalty being taken off the table.
Kohberger, a Ph.D. student studying criminology at Washington State University, is accused of stabbing to death Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in a 4 a.m. home invasion in November 2022. Police found a Ka-Bar knife sheath under Mogen’s body with DNA on it that led them to arrest Kohberger at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger’s defense team is trying to get the death penalty off the table, and to do so, they are using a similar strategy to the one used in Vallow’s case. Vallow, who was found guilty of killing her two children and conspiring in the murder of her husband’s first wife, had the death penalty taken off the table after prosecutors missed a deadline.
Experts say that Kohberger’s defense team is trying to create reasonable doubt by highlighting the prosecution’s delays and lack of transparency in the discovery process. They are also trying to raise questions about the DNA evidence found at the crime scene.
The judge in the case has denied a defense motion to unseal documents related to some of the disputed DNA evidence, agreeing with prosecutors that releasing it before trial could potentially influence the jury pool.
Kohberger faces four charges of first-degree murder and another of felony burglary, and could face the death penalty if convicted. His trial is set to begin soon, and experts say that the defense’s strategy could potentially impact the outcome of the case.