West
Bryan Kohberger's defense cites Idaho town's 'mob mentality' in bid for venue change: 'Good ole’ boy justice'
Bryan Kohberger’s defense team has filed another motion to have his trial moved from Latah County, citing the “mob mentality” within the county where he allegedly stabbed four University of Idaho coeds to death in their home.
According to court documents filed on Monday and reviewed by Fox News Digital, Kohberger’s defense argues that the pressure to convict the 29-year-old criminology Ph.D. student is so intense that survey respondents said the community would “burn the courthouse down” if he was acquitted.
“They would probably find him and kill him,” said one Latah County survey respondent, according to the filing.
“There would likely be a riot, and he wouldn’t last long outside because someone would do the good ole’ boy justice,” another respondent said.
IDAHO PROSECUTORS OBJECT TO BRYAN KOHBERGER DEFENSE’S EFFORT TO MOVE TRIAL
MOSCOW, IDAHO – AUGUST 18: Bryan Kohberger talks to his attorney Anne Taylor before a hearing on August 18, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (August Frank-Pool/Getty Images)
A third community member said that there would be “riots” if Kohberger weren’t convicted, and the victims’ “parents would take care of him.”
“The mob mentality within the community if the exact reason that statutory grounds, prior to selecting the jury, exist to move venue,” Kohberger’s defense wrote in the filing. “Given these responses from potential jurors in Moscow and the State’s acknowledgment that a remedy is needed for a jury to be selected, the state recognizes the obvious: an enormous venue problem exists.”
The defense further argued that jurors would be biased by media coverage of the event, which is the “highest” in Latah County and “does not wane.” According to the filing, there are at least 1,300 media stories covering the November 2022 slayings.
The massacre killed 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, along with 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. All four suffered multiple wounds from a large knife, according to authorities.
Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
BRYAN KOHBERGER DEFENSE CHALLENGES IDAHO PROSECUTORS OVER CELLPHONE RECORDS
“The media coverage inundating Latah County does not tell citizens that no evidence has been presented at this time; that there are no facts on the record at this time; that Bryan Kohberger is innocent; that only a jury decides what the facts are and whether the facts show beyond a reasonable doubt [that] a person is guilty,” the defense team wrote.
The team also argues that there is a precedent of changing venue in high-profile Idaho cases: the double murder trials of Idaho’s “cult mom” Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell were found guilty of killing Vallow’s two children after their trial was moved out of the county.
Kohberger’s attorneys wrote that the accused quadruple murderer would “gladly agree to venue change to any of Ada, Canyon or Bannock counties,” writing that Ada “is the most rational due to factors of population size, courtroom security and layout [and] cost/convenience.”
Idaho prosecutors have formally objected to Kohberger’s motion to change venue, per a filing signed by Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and Special Assistant Attorney General Ingrid Bately.
BRYAN KOHBERGER ASKS COURT FOR CHANGE OF VENUE AFTER DELAYS IN IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS TRIAL
Bryan Kohberger: Charged with four counts of alleged first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in Latah County, Idaho on January 4, 2023. A trial date has not yet been set for the alleged stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. (Latah County Sheriff’s Office)
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
“Defendant has filed a motion to change venue, requesting that the trial in this matter be moved from Latah County —where the offenses took place —to Ada County, some 300 miles away,” they wrote. “To support his motion, he conducted a survey of prospective jurors in Latah County, Ada County, Canyon County, and Bannock County.”
The findings of that survey, they argued, have not justified a move.
GET REAL TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
Bryan Christopher Kohberger arrives at Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on January 3, 2023, before waiving extradition to Idaho to face murder charges in the stabbing deaths of four university students. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
“Far from demonstrating that a Latah County jury pool has been uniquely subjected to an ‘utterly corrupted’ environment, as Defendant argues in his brief, the data show that pervasive and wide-ranging coverage of this case throughout the entire State of Idaho has led to high case recognition among survey respondents across all four surveyed counties,” they continued.
Prosecutors also took issue with the defense survey of potential jurors, arguing it does not reflect “non-response bias” and that polled residents were not given an explanation for the survey.
Read the filing:
“This Court must ask itself: would an individual who was asked for their opinion about an upcoming jury trial continue a survey if they had no opinions about any upcoming jury trials? And once the survey started, would a prudent, thoughtful, and conscientious person who is reluctant to pass judgment with limited information opine to a stranger whether they believe a criminally accused is guilty of murder,” prosecutors wrote.
Not guilty pleas were entered on Kohberger’s behalf at his arraignment in May. He could face the death penalty if convicted. The trial is expected to begin next year and could take up to 15 weeks.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
San Francisco, CA
How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
The San Francisco Giants conclude this four-game series against the Colorado Rockies this afternoon from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Trevor McDonald, who enters today’s game with a 5.46 ERA, 3.99 FIP, with 50 strikeouts to 20 walks in 59.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 9-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, in which he allowed eight runs on 11 hits and one walk in two and a third innings.
He’ll be facing off against Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who enters today’s game with a 6.46 ERA, 4.83 FIP, with 72 strikeouts to 35 walks in 92 innings pitched. His last start was in the Rockies’ 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in six innings.
Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
Denver, CO
Nuggets sign former Denver West basketball player Alpha Diallo out of EuroLeague
The Nuggets have made a habit of signing bench players with Colorado ties.
The latest homecoming they’ve arranged is for Alpha Diallo, who played a season of high school basketball at Denver West and is now signing a one-year, $1.4 million minimum contract with Denver in NBA free agency, a league source told The Denver Post on Sunday.
Diallo, 29, was named Defensive Player of the Year in the EuroLeague last season. This will be his first foray into the NBA after a five-year stint with AS Monaco. He recently committed to join Dubai Basketball on a multiyear deal, according to a report by the European media outlet BasketNews, but his contract included a clause granting his release if he left for the NBA by July 15.
The Nuggets have signed Diallo, Reggie Jackson (Palmer High School), David Roddy (Colorado State) and KJ Simpson (CU) to various deals in the last three years.
Born in New York, Diallo helped lead Denver West to the Colorado Class 4A Sweet 16 as a sophomore. He transferred to Lincoln High before his junior season, but he was ruled ineligible to compete for the entire school year due to what CHSAA deemed an implicit recruiting violation; Lincoln’s coach at the time had just coached Diallo in a summer tournament.
The eligibility fight with CHSAA eventually led Diallo to leave the state. He returned to the East Coast and played four years of college basketball at Providence, where he earned Second Team All-Big East honors twice.
Signing Diallo is the latest example of Denver’s attempt to prioritize defense and athleticism around Nikola Jokic. Last month, the Nuggets drafted Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins in the second round, betting on defensive upside in both cases. They’ve also replaced backup center Jonas Valanciunas with the younger, bouncier Marvin Bagley III on a veteran minimum contract.
Denver tentatively has 12 players under contract on its 15-man roster for the 2026-27 season now: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, Julian Strawther, DaRon Holmes II, Tyus Jones, Bagley, Brazile and Diallo. Restricted free agency negotiations have not yet been resolved with Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones.
Diallo will count for $2.45 million toward the luxury tax despite his $1.4 million salary, the minimum for NBA rookies. The accounting quirk exists so that owners aren’t incentivized to overlook more experienced free agents for tax purposes; the tax ramifications are equal for all minimum signings, regardless of NBA service time.
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.
Seattle, WA
Portland aims to top Seattle’s 405 e-bikes with 2-mile Guinness record ride and party
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Portlanders are being invited to help BIKETOWN mark its 10th birthday with what organizers hope will become a new world record: the largest electric bicycle party and ride.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is organizing a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt on Sunday, July 19, aiming to beat the current record set in Seattle in 2018 with 405 e-bikes. PBOT is seeking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Electric Bicycle Party and Ride.
Riders will gather at Salmon Springs, the fountain in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., and the ride is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. from Southwest Naito Parkway and Southwest Salmon Street. PBOT said the date is “10-years-to-the-day since BIKETOWN service started with a maiden voyage group ride across the Willamette River.”
“I can’t wait to see all of Portland come out to celebrate the ways BIKETOWN has transformed our community,” PBOT Director Millicent Williams said. “Since 2016, BIKETOWN has introduced thousands of Portlanders to biking, and e-bikes in particular, and made biking more accessible for more people. By breaking this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title, we will remind everyone of Portland’s place at the front of the pack of leading bike cities across the nation.”
PBOT said the event is designed for massive participation and will follow a 2-mile loop that includes Tilikum Crossing, the Eastbank Esplanade and the Hawthorne Bridge, taking place mostly on the Waterfront and Eastbank Esplanade. Organizers said participants should expect a slow ride with some stops and are asked to stay on the route to be counted, while watching for pedestrians and other riders.
People riding personal e-bikes and pedal bikes are welcome, though PBOT said only e-bikes will be counted toward the record attempt. PBOT said registration is strongly encouraged to ensure riders are counted and that participants will need to provide their e-bike make and model. Riders are also encouraged to arrive early to check in and get a bib.
For people without an e-bike, PBOT said BIKETOWN will have bikes available to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis, with early registration recommended. Riders must be 16 or older to use BIKETOWN.
After the ride, PBOT said the event will conclude with a celebration featuring vendors, refreshments and remarks from City of Portland and BIKETOWN partners. PBOT said an official judge from Guinness World Records is expected to verify the attempt and confirm whether Portland set a new record.
PBOT also encouraged participants to head to the Portland Pride Parade and Festival afterward. The first 1,000 people who register for the ride will receive free entry to the Pride Festival, supported by BIKETOWN founding partner and title sponsor Nike.
PBOT said the event is possible with financial support from Nike, with additional support from Lyft and the City of Portland.
BIKETOWN launched July 19, 2016, with 1,000 bikes. PBOT said the system has deployed 3,000 electric pedal-assist bicycles serving a 50.5-square-mile service area, including portions of East Portland. BIKETOWN is a partnership between the City of Portland’s PBOT and Nike, and is operated by Lyft.
-
News16 minutes agoWant to own a real T. rex? It could cost you $30 million
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoRare, corpse flower double bloom underway at Huntington Library
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoAround 400 pairs of shoes intended for charity giveaway stolen from Detroit nonprofit, organization says
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoHow to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies
-
Dallas, TX3 hours ago3 unanswered questions before training camp: Dallas Cowboys edition
-
Miami, FL3 hours ago“Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Tommie Lee among 6 arrested during World Cup match in Miami, sheriff says
-
Boston, MA3 hours ago‘More than just a cyclist’: Hundreds mourn Boston transit planner killed while biking – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoNuggets sign former Denver West basketball player Alpha Diallo out of EuroLeague