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Bryan Kohberger asks Idaho judge to let him wear ‘street clothing’ to court

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Bryan Kohberger asks Idaho judge to let him wear ‘street clothing’ to court


Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, has asked a judge to let him wear civilian clothing to trial instead of a jailhouse orange jumpsuit.

Kohberger, 29, is accused of killing the students at their off-campus house in 2022. He was a criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University in Pullman at the time of the murders. The universities are a short drive away from each other.

The defendant has been wearing suits to court ever since his first initial court appearances in 2023.

His attorneys previously requested to move his trial from Latah County to Ada County citing a “mob mentality” that threatened their client’s safety. The new motion on Kohberger’s court attire has been submitted to Ada County Judge Steven Hippler for consideration.

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Kohberger’s attorneys argue his right to a fair trial would be protected if he is allowed to wear civilian clothing to proceedings.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorneys have asked a judge to let their client wear civilian clothes to court
Bryan Kohberger’s attorneys have asked a judge to let their client wear civilian clothes to court (Ada County Sheriff’s Office)

“Authorizing Mr Kohberger to wear street clothing to all public hearings is one way to reduce potential for prejudice,” his attorney Anne Taylor wrote in court filings obtained by Fox News.

Taylor cited a Supreme Court decision from 1976 stating that forcing a defendant to wear a jail uniform to court could negatively impact whether a jury saw them as guilty of alleged crimes.

Additionally, his legal team has successfully argued against having media inside the courtroom, which has restricted the ability of news outlets to photograph Kohberger.

Police say Kohberger entered an off-campus rental home around 4am on 13 November 2022 and stabbed four students to death: Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, 20.

Upon searching the home, police found a Ka-Bar knife sheath under Mogen’s body that they say had the man’s DNA on it. Data from Kohberger’s phone also put him in the same neighborhood at the time of the murders.

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Steve Goncalves, Goncalves’ father, has raised his frustrations over the defendant’s ability to wear suits in court, calling the move one of the “unprecedented” pretrial privileges that have been given to the accused murderer.

Kohberger’s trial has been set for 2 June 2025.



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Idaho AG warns Idaho renters about growing scam targetting home seekers

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Idaho AG warns Idaho renters about growing scam targetting home seekers


Photo: Margaret Carmel/BoiseDev. The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is warning renters to be on the lookout for a scam that’s becoming more common in fast-growing housing markets like Idaho. Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a warning Tuesday about scammers creating fake rental listings to take advantage of Idaho’s fast-growing housing market and renters moving in […]



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Bond revoked for indicted Idaho mother

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Bond revoked for indicted Idaho mother


PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.

The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.

Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.

In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.

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Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.

A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.

State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.

“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.

Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.

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Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.



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Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort

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Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort


Photo: Courtesy Sun Valley Resort Idaho is already home to the nation’s first DarkSky Reserve. Now, Sun Valley Resort is adding another first. The resort has become the first in the United States to earn DarkSky Certified Resort status through DarkSky International’s Approved Lodging Program, recognizing the resort’s efforts to reduce light pollution and protect […]



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