Idaho
Idaho murder suspect to appear in court as judge weighs genetic evidence
Attorneys for a man charged with murder in connection with the killings of four University of Idaho students are asking a judge to throw out most of the evidence in the case because they say it all hinges on an unconstitutional genetic investigation process.
Bryan Kohberger’s defense team also contends that the search warrants in the case were tainted by police misconduct. They will make their arguments during a two-day hearing starting Thursday morning, part of which will be closed to the public. If they are successful, it could throw a major wrench in the prosecution’s case before trial starts in August.
Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were killed in the early morning of Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho. When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger stood silent, prompting a judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
Kohberger’s attorneys say law enforcement violated his constitutional rights when they used a process called Investigative Genetic Genealogy, or IGG, to identify possible suspects.
“There would be no investigation into him without that original constitutional violation,” attorneys Jay Weston Logsdon and Ann Taylor wrote in a court filing. They later continued, “Without IGG, there is no case, no request for his phone records, surveillance of his parents’ home, no DNA taken from the garbage out front. Because the IGG analysis is the origin of this matter, everything in the affidavit should be excised.”
The IGG process often starts when DNA found at the scene of a crime doesn’t yield any results through standard law enforcement databases. When that happens, investigators may look at all the variations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, that are in the DNA sample. Those SNPs, or “snips,” are then uploaded to a genealogy database like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA to look for possible relatives of the person whose DNA was found at the scene.
In Kohberger’s case, investigators said they found “touch DNA,” or trace DNA, on the sheath of a knife that was found in the home where the students were fatally stabbed. The FBI used the IGG process on that DNA and the information identified Kohberger as a possible suspect.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and the rest of the prosecution team say there is nothing unconstitutional about the use of IGG, noting that Kohberger’s relatives voluntarily provided their own DNA to a genetic genealogy service. They’ve also argued in court filings that case law is clear: Defendants have no reasonable right to privacy for DNA that is left at the scene of a crime.
The defense team also says that once Kohberger was identified as a possible suspect, law enforcement officers either purposely or recklessly lied or omitted crucial information when they asked the court to issue search warrants for his apartment, his parents’ house, his car, his cellphone and even for his own DNA. They want all of that evidence kept out of the trial as well.
Specific details about the alleged police misconduct are hidden from public view, however; 4th District Judge Steven Hippler has kept most of those court filings, along with many of the court documents on the IGG evidence, under seal. Part of the hearing starting Thursday will be held behind closed doors because the judge says he doesn’t want potential jurors “tainted” by hearing about any evidence that might not be allowed in trial.
On Wednesday, a coalition of news organizations including The Associated Press asked the judge to reconsider the secrecy.
“In any criminal case, I would submit that it’s of extreme public interest to know whether a law enforcement officer sworn to tell the truth … made reckless or false statements” during an investigation, the news organizations’ attorney, Wendy Olson, said during a hearing on Wednesday. The U.S. Supreme Court has found that the public and the press have a First Amendment right to open court proceedings, she said, and that open courts also help to protect the rights of the accused.
“Openness and transparency are more important than ever in maintaining and restoring confidence in our government institutions,” Olson said.
The judge was unswayed.
“I don’t think much has changed in terms of the need to protect the jury pool here, given the intense media scrutiny that has and continues to follow this case,” Hippler said. “We will be challenged under the best of circumstances in obtaining a jury that has not been overly exposed to this … and in particular, exposed to evidence that may not come into this trial.”
The judge said no one would be allowed into the courtroom but that the open portions of the hearing would be livestreamed from the court’s YouTube page.
POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho agriculture officials are taking aggressive action after five Japanese beetles, a highly destructive invasive pest, were detected in Acequia near Rupert, according to information provided by the Idaho Farm Bureau Foundation.
The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation reports the Japanese beetle, a non-native insect that feeds on more than 300 species of agricultural and ornamental plants, poses a significant threat to Idaho agriculture. In response to the discovery, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has deployed about 800 traps in the Rupert area to determine the extent of the infestation.
“We take an aggressive approach to make sure we don’t see those numbers boom before we can actually handle the situation,” said Vene Stewart, an ISDA pest survey and detection specialist helping lead eradication efforts.
Stewart said Japanese beetles are not selective feeders.
“They eat about 300 different types of flowering plants. Pretty much anything that flowers, they would love to demolish,” Stewart said.
The ISDA is also conducting eradication efforts in Caldwell and Pocatello. Last year, the department detected 160 Japanese beetles in Caldwell and 12 in Pocatello. Residents in those areas, as well as Acequia, may notice the yellow traps used to monitor the pest’s presence.
“We will be treating all three of those areas this year,” Stewart said.
Caldwell, like Acequia, is located in a major agricultural region. About 700 traps have been placed throughout the Caldwell area.
“The Caldwell infestation isn’t moving at all,” Stewart said. “In fact, where we are finding the beetles is getting to be a smaller and smaller area. You like to see that.”
The department has also placed approximately 550 traps in the Pocatello area.
Stewart said eradication efforts require ongoing monitoring and treatment.
“It’s unfortunately not something that we can just treat one time and assume everything’s going to be (OK) the following year,” she said. “It’s something we’re going to have to keep up on.”
According to a recent University of Idaho study, agriculture accounts for one in every nine jobs in Idaho, 17% of total sales and 12% of the state’s gross domestic product.
ISDA officials have worked to eliminate Japanese beetles wherever they appear in Idaho. About 15 years ago, large numbers of the beetles were detected in the Boise area. Officials say the state’s eradication campaign there resulted in no detections in Boise for several years. According to ISDA officials, the effort became the largest documented Japanese beetle eradication in U.S. history.
“We definitely want to protect our agriculture, especially in Caldwell where it is such an agriculture-(rich) area,” Stewart said. “It’s definitely important to the residents and the farmers out there to make sure that we keep our eye on it and make some progress.”
Stewart said the department’s eradication efforts have received support from farmers, local residents and city officials.
Adult Japanese beetles are about a half-inch long with metallic green bodies and copper-colored wing covers. The insects can skeletonize leaves and leave holes in plants while feeding.
Officials warn that if the beetle were to establish a permanent presence in Idaho, it could lead to reduced crop production, increased pesticide use and potential market restrictions through quarantine measures.
Native to Japan, the beetle was first detected in the United States in 1916 and is now found throughout most states east of the Mississippi River.
Although Idaho has preventative measures in place to reduce the risk of introduction from infested states, ISDA officials believe the beetles still arrive by hitchhiking with people moving from affected areas.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (CBS2) — A joint investigation by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Police Department has led to the arrest of a man accused of multiple sexual offenses in Elmore County and the city of Mountain Home.
An arrest warrant was issued on June 10, 2026, for Dillon Thorpe following an investigation conducted by Elmore County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Thorpe was taken into custody on June 11, 2026, on a warrant by the Idaho State Police.
Thorpe is charged with rape, child enticement, lewd conduct with a minor, and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16.
Authorities said additional details about the investigation will not be released at this time because of the nature of the crimes and to protect the privacy of victims and witnesses.
Law enforcement believes there may be additional suspected victims and/or witnesses who have not yet been identified. Anyone with information or evidence relevant to the investigation is encouraged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office or the Mountain Home Police Department to make a report.
DENVER (KDVR) — Three Colorado motorcyclists died on Tuesday in northern Idaho after a pickup truck driver, also from Colorado, hit all three while trying to pass another vehicle, according to the Idaho State Police.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday outside the town of Kooskia on U.S. 12, police said. The pickup truck driver, identified as a 60-year-old Colorado Springs woman, was headed west on the highway when she crossed the double yellow line in a no-passing zone while trying to pass another vehicle.
She then collided head-on with the three motorcycles that were headed east on the highway.
The three motorcyclists died at the scene. The Idaho County Coroner identified the motorcyclists as: Ethan Powers, 35, of Timnath, Jeremy Coleman, 45 of Berthoud, and Nathan McCormick, 26, of Loveland.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police later identified Coleman and Powers as a sergeant and deputy with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and McCormick as Coleman’s son-in-law.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, coworkers, and the members of FOP Lodge 4 as they face the difficult days ahead,” the union said. “The law enforcement profession is built on service, sacrifice, and commitment to others. Sgt. Coleman and Deputy Powers dedicated their lives to protecting their community, and their impact will continue to be felt by those who had the privilege of serving alongside them.”
The truck driver was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation before being released then arrested. She was booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter, police said.
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