Idaho murder suspect Brian Koberger returned to Latah County, Idaho, court on 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 strong that survey respondents in Latah County stated that if he was not convicted, 'the courthouse will be burned down. To say I'm outraged would be an understatement,'” court documents filed by the defense last week quoted local residents surveyed about the case as saying, “'They will probably find him and kill him,' 'He won't last long outside because there will probably be a riot and someone will do this good boy justice,' 'Strong opinions outraged. Officers fired.' 'Riots and his parents will take care of him.'”
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.
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 — 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.
Follow the FOX True Crime Team on X
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)
“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.
The defense called several experts as witnesses Thursday to explain why a Latah County jury may be too biased to reach a decision in Koberger's case.
Brian Koberger enters the courtroom for a hearing at the Lata County Courthouse in Moscow, United States, Friday, August 18, 2023. (August Frank/Pool via Reuters)
The first witness, Todd Murphy, president of media analytics firm TruthScope North America, presented several charts showing that residents of Latah County were more exposed to news about Koberger than residents of Ada County, Idaho, or other parts of the country.
Murphy also said he doesn't think the intensity of news about Koberger will fade over time, especially when important updates and hearings come up.
“These types of stories will continue to be trending online until and after the conclusion of this case,” he said.
Investigators position themselves outside the home where four University of Idaho students were killed in November 2022, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Click here for the FOX News App
Following Murphy's testimony, Dr. Amani El Aleili, a social psychologist and professor at Eastern Washington University, took the stand to discuss confirmation bias, saying people who watch media while doing other tasks, like preparing dinner, may form certain opinions without giving too much thought to the information they're internalizing.
Certain media angles can also instill fear or other strong emotions in consumers.
“[I]”When the media uses language like 'there's a murderer on the loose,' they're encouraging people to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity,” she explained.
Fox News' Laura Plabucki, Michael Lewis and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
