OAN’s Brooke Mallory
5:44 PM – Friday, May 3, 2024
The legal counsel of Bryan Kohberger, who is suspected of killing four students at the University of Idaho in November 2022, claimed during a recent court hearing that prosecutors were hiding facts from the defense team.
While leading Kohberger attorney, Anne Taylor, argued that the public should be made aware of the two impending hearings on May 14th and 16th, she also mentioned that Kohberger’s vehicle is not shown in full on a video that Latah County prosecutors claim to have produced, showing his vehicle near the residence where the four students were killed.
The video was mentioned in the probable cause affidavit used to arrest Kohberger, according to Taylor, who also said that the defense had only “received parts of” the footage. The video was also silent.
“This is the video that they say places this car near the residence. We’re received little tiny pieces of that and we think Bryan’s right to a fair trial means the public needs to know that they’ve withheld the audio from a great portion of that and that it starts a long time before the little clip that we received,” said Taylor, while accusing prosecutors of keeping the defense team “in a vacuum to try to control the narrative.”
Taylor also maintained that the public should continue to be informed about Kohberger’s case. In a response, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ashley Jennings stated that although the trial would be open to the public, certain sessions shouldn’t be held in public due to the sensitive nature of the material being discussed. There have been three public hearings already.
“I would note for the record, we had one (public) hearing regarding motions to compel … We discussed one request, and it had to do with training records. That’s not what we’re contemplating discussing at this hearing on the 14th,” Jennings said.
The hearings will “primarily address the potential relocation of Kohberger’s trial away from Latah County,” CBS affiliate KREM reported.
Kohberger’s attorneys have said in the past that they would be unable to hold a fair trial due to the “inflammatory” media coverage.
John Judge, the supervising judge, made the decision to close the next round of hearings.
Meanwhile, the family of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, expressed their frustration with the length of time it has taken for the case to move forward in court.
“This banter has been going on for 17 months. Then once you get a hearing, you have a hearing about the decision that was made at that hearing before the last hearing, and there needs to be another hearing,” the family said in a statement.
“This case is turning into a hamster wheel of motions, hearings, and delayed decisions.”
It is currently unknown when Kohberger’s trial will take place. In August 2024, he gave up his right to a speedy trial.
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