Idaho
Attorneys for Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger maintain DA is slow-walking evidence
Bryan Kohberger, who stands accused of killing four University of Idaho students, was in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing where witnesses testified about the collection of evidence and cellphone data.
Defense attorneys for Kohberger have accused prosecutors of not turning over all the evidence they had during their discovery process, which the state denies.
“Discovery is being given to us like we are living in a snow globe,” a defense lawyer told Idaho Judge John Judge.
IDAHO PROSECUTORS IN BRYAN KOHBERGER CASE FILE NEW MOTION AS DEFENSE RAISES FAIR TRIAL QUESTIONS
Bryan Kohberger appears in court in Moscow, Idaho, Oct. 26, 2023. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022. (Kai Eiselein/Pool)
The first witness, Moscow Police Detective Brett Payne, testified Thursday that thousands of hours of surveillance video were collected as part of the investigation.
Payne told defense attorney Anne Taylor that police have thousands of hours of video from 79 businesses and residences related to the investigation. Defense lawyers also questioned whether any cellphone data evidence is missing.
Witness Sy Ray, a former Arizona police detective and founder of ZetX Corporation, which specializes in cellular geolocation mapping, testified that 2- to 3% of the cellphone data in the case is missing.
“Some of the most significant locations in the case are missing data,” Ray said.
He noted that he needs all the AT&T source data and other information for him to pinpoint where Kohberger’s phone was at the time of the murders.
“Because of the piecemealing of the data, because of the missing data, because of the data I’m reviewing that is incredibly inaccurate, everything that is missing is absolutely in benefit of the defense right now,” Ray testified, adding, “There are other reports that are missing that I can’t tell you are benefiting of Mr. Kohberger or the state.”
BRYAN KOHBERGER’S ALIBI RIPPED APART IN IDAHO PROSECUTORS’ ‘TEMPER TANTRUM’
Bryan Kohberger’s booking photo and his alleged victims Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. (Monroe County Prison/Instagram)
Prosecutors allege that Kohberger is the masked man who entered a house just steps from the University of Idaho campus around 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022. Four undergrad students — Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, their housemate Xana Kernodle, 20, and her visiting boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, also 20 — were all found dead inside the home.
He faces four charges of first-degree murder and a felony burglary count.
Kohberger, a Washington State University criminology graduate student, was arrested on suspicion of the killings on Dec. 30, 2022, in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Investigators said cellphone pings placed Kohberger near the house the day of the murders, but defense lawyers have argued that he was nowhere near the house where the killings happened and was instead driving around, as he often liked to “see the moon and stars.”
Workers demolish the home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on Dec. 28, 2023. Four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in the house on Nov. 13, 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Prosecutors have argued the alibi is “too vague.” Investigators allegedly found Kohberger’s DNA on a knife sheath under the body of one of the victims.
His attorneys have previously argued the DNA may have been planted at the scene and that the state has mishandled all the evidence for the defense to review. Investigators later allegedly confirmed a match with a DNA sample, which used distant relatives to make the connection to Kohberger.
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A trial date has not yet been set. If convicted, Kohberger could face the death penalty.
Judge briefly adjourned the hearing for a break before returning, where DNA experts were expected to testify.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A simmering dispute between Idaho’s top elections official and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated this month after federal officials warned Secretary of State Phil McGrane about possible prosecution tied to non-citizens voting in Idaho.
The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month threatening McGrane with prosecution. The warning came amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and McGrane, whom the administration has sued over his refusal to provide unredacted voter rolls to the federal government.
Idaho’s chief of civil litigation, James Craig, responded on July 10. In a letter first reported by the Idaho Statesman, Craig pushed back on the federal warning, writing, “Insinuations of criminal violations of the federal election laws are not well taken,” and asking the department to “stop threatening your friends in Idaho.”
Craig also requested that the lawsuit against McGrane be dismissed and criticized the Justice Department for sending its letter directly to McGrane rather than to the Idaho attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the state has already referred 15 cases of possible non-citizen election violations to the Justice Department but is not aware of any of them being prosecuted. Craig’s letter ends by asking the department to do so.
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