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Lawyers for Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger argued that his chances of a fair trial have been ruined by “relentless and highly inflammatory” media coverage, as they sought a venue change for his trial.
In a lengthy filing, released on Tuesday, lawyers said that remedies including enlarging the jury pool would not “cure the problem” and requested the venue be changed from Latah County to Boise.
They argued that Kohberger’s constitutional rights would be impacted by the small size of the jury pool.
“A fair and impartial jury cannot be found in Latah County because of the extensive publicity that is ongoing and inflammatory,” the filing stated. “The inflammatory nature of the publicity has included inaccurate information and inadmissible information.
“The publicity has been extremely pervasive in the small community of Latah County. Remediations, such as enlarging the jury pool will not cure the problem.”
Kohberger, a 29-year-old criminology PhD student, is currently awaiting trial for the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were all found brutally stabbed to death in November 2022.
Police linked Kohberger to the murders that rocked the college town through DNA found on a knife sheath, cell phone data, an eyewitness account and his white Hyundai Elantra.
He faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the case, with prosecutors intending to seek the death penalty if a jury convicts him.
The Idaho capital of Boise is located in Ada County, the state’s largest county with more than 500,000 residents. The county has “more than 10 times as many potential jurors than Latah County,” and gives Kohberger the best chance at an impartial jury, according to Tuesday’s filing.
“Latah County is, in all regards, a nice, quaint close-knit community that sticks together,” said Anne Taylor, Kohberger’s lead public defender.
“While a small, close-knit community is what is hoped for in a small town, constitutional rights must still be carefully protected. Mr Kohberger has the right of a presumption of innocence; he is guaranteed the protection of a fair jury and due process of law.”
