Attorneys for Brian Koberger, the man accused in the brutal stabbings of four University of Idaho students, are challenging a body of evidence in an effort to prevent prosecutors from introducing the evidence at trial.
The filing, published Friday, totaled more than 160 pages and included legal justifications for blocking various materials that Koberger's lawyers say were improperly obtained, according to the Idaho Statesman. .
According to the newspaper, part of the evidence the defense team is seeking to suppress is Koberger's genetic information, citing the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. “It was done,” he claims.
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Brian Koberger's booking photo and inset photos of his alleged victims. (Monroe County Jail/Instagram)
Koberger is accused of killing 21-year-old Madison Morgen. Kaylee Gonsalves, 21 years old. Zana Karnodol, 20 years old. Ethan Chapin, 20, was attacked at 4 a.m. on November 13, 2022. All four were staying in a six-bedroom house just steps from the university campus.
At the time of the murder, Koberger was studying for his Ph.D. in neighborhood criminology washington state universityless than 10 miles from the murder scene.
He claimed that he was driving alone at night at the time of the murder.
Brian Koberger (left) stands as defense attorney Jay Logsdon listens to oral arguments to overturn Koberger's grand jury indictment on October 26, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho. (Kai Eiselein Pool/Getty Images)
Authorities said Koberger's DNA was found on the sheath of a Ka-Bar knife found under Morgen's body. A cheek swab later showed DNA matched to Koberger.
Other evidence the defense is challenging, citing violations of privacy laws, includes the contents of Koberger's digital history in his Amazon, Google, Apple iCloud and AT&T phone accounts, as well as the contents of his phone account in Pullman, Washington, under a search warrant. Evidence obtained from the apartment of
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Brian Koberger listens to arguments during a public hearing on October 26, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho. (Kai Eiselein/New York Post, via AP, Pool)
The prosecution has until December 6 to respond to the defense's 14 motions to destroy evidence. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for January 23rd.
The murder trial was moved from a Moscow college town to Boise after the defense argued that extensive media coverage made it difficult to find an impartial jury.
The change appointed Judge Stephen Hippler to preside over the case, replacing Lutter County District Judge John Judge, who agreed to the change of venue.
On January 3, 2023, Brian Koberger arrived at the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, to waive extradition to Idaho to face murder charges in the stabbings of four college students. (Fox News Digital Image Direct)
Mr. Hippler, who is familiar with murder cases, denied Mr. Koberger's request for an extension of the deadline for filing discovery motions.
“A motion for an extension filed on the eve of the deadline has not been well received,” the judge said in Friday's ruling. “The state's discovery deadline was September 6, 2024. Defendants could have identified and brought to the court's attention sooner whether the discovery deadline would pose a hardship.”
Madison Morgen, top left, poses with Ethan Chapin, Zana Kernodle and two other housemates in Gonsalves' last Instagram post, which was shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. , smiling on the shoulder of her best friend Kaylee Gonsalves. . (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
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“More importantly, the defendants have not submitted a valid reason for extending the filing deadline,” he added. “He asked what efforts had been made to review the discovery, what parts of the discovery had not yet been reviewed, why it had not been reviewed, or how long it would take for the review to be completed. It has not been made clear whether this will be the case.”
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
