Murder trial at the University of Idaho: Judge decides, venue to be moved

The venue for the quadruple murder trial at the University of Idaho will be changed, Judge John Judge ruled.

The judge said, “Given the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the reporting in this case, and the smaller population of Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of showing a 'reasonable probability' that biased reporting will interfere with a fair trial in Latah County. Therefore, the court will grant Kohberger's motion for a change of venue on the grounds of alleged bias.”

The new location was not immediately clear. The decision will be left to the Idaho Supreme Court.

Attorneys for suspect Bryan Kohberger pushed to move the trial to Boise, arguing that the jury pool in Latah County, which includes Moscow, had been rigged by the publicity of the preliminary hearings.

Defense attorneys interviewed Latah County residents and said their findings showed that the “pressure to convict” Kohberger was “so strong” that the court could not be impartial.

The defense said one respondent responded that he would “burn down the courthouse” if he was not convicted. The same poll found “far less emotional” responses from people who live closer to Boise, which is about 300 miles south of Moscow, according to the defense.

The prosecution has stated that the case is of both national and international interest and that the case has already been widely reported in Boise, so changing the venue would not solve any problems.

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said in a statement in August: “If the case were tried in Latah County, I firmly believe that people would be able to put aside any personal feelings, put aside any information they may have read or heard, and make a decision about guilt or innocence based on the evidence presented in the courtroom and deliberate according to the instructions given to them.”

The trial is scheduled to begin on June 2, 2025, and last until August 29, 2025. The judge said in June that the trial date would remain the same even if the venue were changed.

Kohberger is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death at an off-campus home in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. Kohberger was a criminology doctoral student at nearby Washington State University at the time.

Kohberger was charged with four counts of premeditated murder and one count of burglary.

He pleaded not guilty and could face the death penalty if convicted.