Defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger plan to argue the possibility of an “alternative perpetrator” at his upcoming quadruple murder trial in a last ditch effort to save him – but the judge overseeing the case says he needs to see some evidence.
Kohberger, the 30-year-old accused of slaughtering four University of Idaho students in 2022, was back in an Ada County courtroom on Thursday for his last scheduled hearing to iron out any issues before he stands trial later this summer.
Judge Steven Hippler granted the defense’s request to seal the allegations about another possible suspect, keeping the detail a mystery.
But the judge told attorneys that by the end of next week, he would need to see evidence, not just allegations, and an argument in support of the admissibility of its case.
Hippler said much of what the defense submitted was “potentially fairly objectionable in terms of admissibility.”
A hearing on the matter will be held on June 18 after the prosecutors have had a chance to respond.
It’s not the first time Kohberger’s defense has raised the possibility of an alternative perpetrator or perpetrators.
At a hearing last month, Kohberger’s lead attorney Anne Taylor told the court that they were looking into a tip about another possible suspect. She said they have an expert who believes it would have taken two perpetrators and two weapons to carry out the heinous murders.
It comes just days after previously unreleased details about the investigation aired on a new episode of Dateline, revealing that in the weeks before the murders, Kohberger had allegedly searched online for Ted Bundy as well as pornography with the keywords "forced," "passed out," "drugged," and "sleeping."
At Thursday’s hearing, Hippler appointed a special prosecutor to investigate potential violations of the court’s gag order, the Idaho Statesman reported. Although Hippler did not directly mention Dateline, he did refer to the air date of the episode.
Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted of the November 13, 2022 slayings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin in late July, with the trial slated to start August 11 and expected to last three months.
