Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Trial Delayed Indefinitely As Victims' Family Predicted
By Favour Adegoke on August 25, 2023 at 6:30 PM EDT
Bryan Kohberger is going to wait a little longer for his murder trial. Kohberger was recently accused of fatally stabbing four Idaho college students last year. His trial was to start in early October, but he waived his right to a speedy trial, and it's been postponed.
Kohberger has pled not guilty to the murder charges and could face the death penalty. One of his victims' family issued a statement saying they suspected he'd waive his speedy trial rights. Kohberger reportedly had several incidents with other staff and was sexist to female students.
Keep on reading to learn more.
Bryan Kohberger's Trial Has Been Delayed Indefinitely
Bryan Kohberger's first-degree murder trial has been delayed indefinitely. The capital murder trial was scheduled to start on October 2nd, but the alleged murderer has now waived his right to a speedy trial. In court on Wednesday, Judge John accepted the waiver, according to be ABC news.
During the hearing, the Judge confirmed with Kohberger that he made the decision without duress or external pressure. According to Idaho law, if a defendant doesn't waive that right, he has to receive a trial date within six months of being arraigned.
Kohberger's attorney, Anne Taylor, told the court they needed more time to present their case properly, and October 2nd would be too close. They also wanted to maintain the upcoming September 1st hearing, where the court will address their request to dismiss the indictment totally.
The court's decision to postpone Kohberger's murder trial has been an ongoing rumor for weeks. It heightened when Idaho prosecutors confirmed they'd seek the death penalty if the Ph.D. student was found guilty.
Bryan Kohberger Allegedly Stabbed Four Students To Death
Idaho prosecutors claim that on November 13th, 2022, Kohberger broke into an off-campus student lodge. He allegedly then stabbed four University of Idaho students living there to death. They were Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves.
After weeks of investigation, police used DNA from a knife sheath found near the victims to create a DNA profile for their suspect. This profile led to Kohberger's father and then to Kohberger himself. They also reportedly tracked his car and cell phone signal data to the crime scene area.
In May this year, Kohberger was finally indicted and charged with one count of burglary and four counts of first-degree murder. The Ph.D. student refused to enter a plea, so the Judge entered a not-guilty plea. If he loses at trial, Kohberger faces the maximum punishment, the death penalty.
The Victims' Family Are Upset About The Delay
The family of Kaylee Goncalves has issued a statement in response to the indefinite trial postponement. It read, per The Sun, "Upon the Court finally putting hard deadlines in place the Family suspected that the Defendant would waive his speedy trial rights."
They also wrote that the additional time would allow the lawyers of both sides to prepare for trial thoroughly. Shortly before the Wednesday hearing, Goncalves' family members posted about the trial on Facebook. They asked for prayers in the post and hoped the trial wouldn't be postponed.
The post read, "We are afraid he is going to waive his rights to a speedy trial. If he does, trial will not be starting on October 2nd and it is very likely that it won't take place for years. We want to get this trial over. Just thinking it could be years absolutely kills me."
Bryan Kohberger Was Expelled And Fired Multiple Times
The postponement of Kohberger's murder trial comes shortly after news broke of his history of bad behavior. The Ph.D. student was reportedly expelled from a law enforcement program while in high school. There were also multiple complaints from female students about his conduct towards them.
According to the New York Post, Kohberger was also fired from a teaching assistant position at Washington State University. He reportedly had multiple incidents with a professor and other staff. Kohberger was also accused of having a "sexist" attitude towards female students and allegedly graded them poorly.
His defense team has reportedly hired genealogy experts to try and disprove vital DNA evidence linking him to the murders of the four University of Idaho students. Dr. Greg Hamikian, one of these experts, works as a forensic biologist at Boise State University, according to Radar Online.
