MOSCOW, Idaho -- University of Idaho student homicides suspect Bryan Kohberger stood silent when asked to enter a plea in Latah County court Monday morning, with the judge defaulting to not guilty. Kohberger’s murder trial was scheduled to begin this fall at the request of his defense.
The hearing was the first public appearance in more than four months for the 28-year-old man accused of murdering four students at an off-campus home in mid-November. Family members for two of the victims and a throng of media filled the courtroom for Kohberger’s arraignment, which lasted about 15 minutes.
Dressed in a bright orange jail outfit with the word PRISONER in black on his back, Kohberger stood before Judge John Judge of Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District Court. Judge explained the five charges, which include four counts of first-degree murder and one county of felony burglary, to the defendant and the maximum penalties if he’s found guilty.
Kohberger responded affirmatively to Judge’s questions about whether he understood each of the charges against him, but then declined to enter a plea when asked. Judge defaulted Kohberger’s plea to not guilty.
At the request of Kohberger’s attorney and with concurrence from the prosecution, Judge set a trial date of Oct. 2. The trial was scheduled to last six weeks.
Kohberger was represented Monday by his lead public defender Anne Taylor, who appeared beside him during his arraignment at the Latah County Courthouse. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson was joined by Ashley Jennings, his senior deputy prosecutor.
The aggravated first-degree murder charges qualify Kohberger for Idaho’s death penalty if he is convicted. The prosecution has yet to say whether they will seek a death sentence, and under Idaho law, they must inform the court of their decision within 60 days now that a plea has been entered.
Kohberger was indicted by a grand jury last week on the four counts of murder in the first degree and one count of felony burglary. A grand jury is a panel of citizens who hear evidence and determine whether criminal charges should be brought.
The indictment canceled Kohberger’s preliminary hearing previously set to start June 26. That hearing was scheduled to last up to a week and likely would have revealed information not yet released in the case to the public.
At the request of Thompson, Judge ordered the names of all witnesses who testified before the grand jury sealed.
Kohberger was a graduate student of criminal justice and criminology for one semester at neighboring Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, before being arrested over the winter break at his parents’ Pennsylvania home in December.
The victims in the November attack were U of I seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.
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