BOISE (AP) A man who is suspected of killing four college students in Idaho entered a guilty plea in return for life in prison and the avoidance of the capital penalty after repeatedly responding in the affirmative to a judge. What drove Bryan Kohberger to carry out the knife attacks in the middle of the night and why those victims were targeted, however, has not yet been revealed.
When Kohberger appears in court again on July 23 to receive his punishment, further information might become available. Hundreds more documents filed by defense attorneys and prosecutors that have been sealed and hidden from the public since 2022 may also hold some clues.
According to former Idaho attorney general David Leroy, “if we’re going to have a complete understanding of what went on, it’s important that a full record be available, as if the matter and the evidence were exposed at trial.”
On Wednesday, Kohberger’s hearing in a courtroom in Boise, Idaho, was concluded in less than an hour. It was anticipated that the trial, which would have exposed a great deal of information, would have lasted for at least three months.
In a Facebook post, the victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family stated, “We deserve to know when the beginning of the end was.”
Horror near the University of Idaho
Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, and Goncalves were all stabbed several times after four in the morning. on November 13, 2022, at a Moscow, Idaho, rental house.
According to Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson, Kohberger killed Mogen and Goncalves first, followed by Kernodle, who was still conscious at the time, then Chapin, who was asleep. There were no injuries to the other two individuals in the residence.
Ten miles (16 kilometers) away, at Washington State University in Pullman, the 30-year-old murderer was enrolled in an advanced degree program in criminology. Although phone data showed Kohberger in the neighborhood around two dozen times, Thompson said there was no proof that he had previously interacted with the victims.
Investigators found that a knife sheath left at the crime site was essential evidence. Additionally crucial was a garbage search at Kohberger’s parents’ Pennsylvania home, which turned up a Q-tip that was used to match his genetic material on the sheath.
No sunshine on many court filings
The Associated Press discovered that since 2022, at least 103 orders to seal court papers in the Kohberger case had been issued, usually at the request of attorneys.
These included the defense team’s alternate murder perpetrators, witness lists, jury instructions, evidence exhibits, and trial briefs submitted by each side.
According to Idaho court regulations, a judge may redact or seal documents in order to protect the right to a fair trial.
On a different topic, Wendy Olson, a lawyer for news outlets including the AP, requested that a judge lift a gag order that has significantly limited the prosecutor’s and defense attorneys’ ability to speak to reporters.
Olson stated in a court filing that since Mr. Kohberger has already acknowledged his guilt, there is no need to uphold his right to a fair trial.
The previous attorney general, Leroy, stated that he thinks the public, law enforcement, experts, and the relatives of the victims would all benefit from knowing more details about the crimes.
To the best of our ability, I would like to discover what mix of Mr. Kohberger’s attempts to deal with his troubles and his desire to conduct the ideal crime led him to do these things, Leroy
