Idaho murder suspect Brian Kobeger is scheduled to return to Latah County, Idaho, court at noon Thursday for a hearing to discuss whether his trial location should be changed.
Koberger is accused of brutally killing four University of Idaho students at his home in November 2022, but his defense team argues that “mob mentality” in Latah County, where he lives, will lead to unfair jury selection and provide an unfair trial for the 29-year-old.
“The pressure to convict Brian Koberger was so intense that a Latah County survey respondent stated that if he was not convicted, 'the courthouse will be burned down. To say I am outraged would be an understatement,'” court documents filed by the defense last week quoted local residents who were surveyed about the case.
“'They will probably find him and kill him.' 'He won't last long outside because there will probably be a riot and someone will administer justice to this good boy.' 'Strong opinions outraged. Officers fired.' 'If there's a riot, his parents will take care of him.'”
Idaho murder trial for Brian Koberger set to begin in June 2025
A collection of mugshots of Brian Koberger (29, criminologist), the suspect in the murder of a student in Idaho. He is accused of breaking into an off-campus rental home at 4 a.m. on November 13, 2022, and killing four students with a knife. (Monroe County, Pennsylvania and Latah County, Idaho)
Koberger's defense team also pointed out that there is a large media presence in Latah County, with 1,300 current reports about the University of Idaho murders.
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Koberger — a former criminology Ph.D. student Washington State University A man from near Pullman, Washington, is charged with four counts of murder and burglary for allegedly stabbing 20-year-old Zana Kernodle, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, 21-year-old Kaylee Gonsalves and 21-year-old Madison Morgen with a KA-BAR knife in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.
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Koberger was arrested at his Pennsylvania home in late December 2022. His trial is scheduled for no later than the summer of 2025. Prosecutors Call for the death penalty.
Madison Morgen (top left) leans on her best friend Kaylee Gonsalves' shoulder and smiles with Ethan Chapin, Zana Kernodle and two other housemates in Gonsalves' last Instagram post, published the day before the four students were stabbed to death. Inset: Judge John Judge (top) and suspected killer Brian Koberger (bottom). (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram, August Frank/Pool via REUTERS, Ted S. Warren/Pool via REUTERS)
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“The media reports hitting Latah County are not telling residents that no evidence has been presented at this time, that there are no facts on the record at this time, that Brian Koberger is innocent, and that it is only for a jury to determine what the facts are and whether the facts have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. [that] “The person is guilty,” the defense wrote.
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Fox News Digital's Michael Lewis and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
