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A new mugshot of Bryan Kohberger has now been released, after the man accused of committing the notorious University of Idaho murders was relocated to a new jail in Idaho.
The 29-year-old former criminology lecturer’s trial was moved to Boise, Idaho, on September 12 after his defense team successfully argued that having the trial in Latah County, where the students were murdered, would impede legal proceedings.
On Sunday, Kohberger was booked into Ada County Jail in Boise, records show – some 300 miles from Moscow (where the murders occurred and the trial was originally set to take place).
In his new mugshot, Kohberger is seen sporting an unkempt beard and has bloodshot eyes.
The 29-year-old is accused of stabbing to death students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, in an off-campus student home on November 13 2022.
Mogen and Kernodle were living in the house at the time, while Goncalves had just recently moved out but had returned for the weekend.
Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend, and was staying in the home on the night of the attacks.
Two other female roommates were also in the house at the time but were unharmed.
Kohberger was arrested around six weeks later.
When asked to enter a plea in court in 2023, Kohberger stood silent, prompting a judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The suspect’s attorneys had been fighting to get the trial moved to another location, arguing a need to find an impartial jury.
In a hearing last week, they argued that there was a “mob mentality” surrounding the case in Latah County pointing to a survey of potential jurors some of whom said “there would likely be a riot” and the public might “burn the courthouse down” if he is not found guilty.
Prosecutors accused Kohberger’s team of using flawed survey data and argued the victims’ families would be affected if the case was moved.
The judge ultimately sided with the defense and ordered the trial to be moved, citing “extensive negative publicity surrounding Kohberger.”
“Kohberger’s name and picture have been associated with terms like “murderer,” “evil,” “killer,” and “stalker,” when individuals hear that name there is a negative association,” according to the order.
“This impact is greater in Latah County because of the saturation of the extensive media coverage.”
Set to stand trial in June 2025, prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
