Prosecutors in the University of Idaho student homicides objected to delaying the summer murder trial for defendant Bryan Kohberger, arguing evidence leaks that likely violated the case’s gag order are negligible.
“It is time to try this case. (The) defendant was arrested in late December of 2022 and was indicted in May of 2023,” lead prosecutor Bill Thompson wrote in a legal brief posted Tuesday. “While the publicity surrounding this trial is a challenge, defendant has not shown — and cannot show — that continuing this trial will make things any easier. It is just as likely that delay will make it harder to seat a jury.”
Kohberger’s defense attorneys asked last month for a postponement of the trial, citing a recent episode of NBC’s “Dateline” that aired in May and revealed previously unreleased details about the defendant and the investigation. They also wrote that they had insufficient time to review all outstanding investigation materials — an argument Judge Steven Hippler dismissed at a prior hearing…