Idaho
Bryan Kohberger's defense challenges DNA evidence, warrants in Idaho quadruple murder case
Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused in the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, are challenging an array of evidence in an effort to prevent prosecutors from presenting it at trial.
A filing posted Friday totaled more than 160 pages and included the legal justification for blocking a variety of materials that Kohberger’s lawyers say were improperly obtained, the Idaho Statesman reported.
Some of the evidence defense lawyers want suppressed is Kohberger’s genetic information, which they argue was “illegally gathered by law enforcement,” citing the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, according to the newspaper.
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Bryan Kohberger’s booking photo, with insets of his alleged victims. (Monroe County Prison/Instagram)
Kohberger is accused of killing Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, in a 4 a.m. attack on Nov. 13, 2022. All four were staying in a six-bedroom home just steps from the university campus.
At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at neighboring Washington State University, less than 10 miles from the site of the killings.
He claimed he was taking one of many solo, nighttime drives at the time of the murders.
Bryan Kohberger, left, listens as defense attorney Jay Logsdon, standing, presents oral arguments in favor of overturning Kohberger’s grand jury indictment in Moscow, Idaho, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kai Eiselein-Pool/Getty Images)
Authorities said Kohberger’s DNA was found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath under Mogen’s body. DNA was later matched to Kohberger through a cheek swab.
Other evidence being challenged by the defense includes the contents of Kohberger’s digital history on his Amazon, Google, Apple iCloud and AT&T phone accounts, citing privacy law violations, as well as evidence obtained from his apartment in Pullman, Washington, with a search warrant.
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Bryan Kohberger listens to arguments during a hearing in Moscow, Idaho, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Kai Eiselein/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Prosecutors have until Dec. 6 to respond to the defense’s 14 evidence suppression filings. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 23.
The venue for the murder trial was moved from the college town of Moscow to Boise after defense lawyers argued the extensive media coverage would make it difficult to find impartial jurors.
The change also resulted in Judge Steven Hippler being assigned to preside over the proceedings, replacing Latah County District Judge John Judge, who agreed to the change of venue.
Bryan Kohberger arrives at Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 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)
Hippler, who is no stranger to murder cases, denied Kohberger’s request to extend deadlines for filing motions for discovery material.
“Motions to enlarge a deadline filed on the eve of the deadline are not well taken,” the judge wrote in a Friday ruling. “The State’s discovery deadline was September 6, 2024. Defendant could have ascertained far sooner whether the discovery motions deadline would pose a difficulty and brought it to the Court’s attention.”
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)
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“Furthermore, and importantly, Defendant has not demonstrated with his filing good cause to enlarge the deadline,” he added. “He has not set forth what efforts have been made to review the discovery, what portion of discovery has not yet been reviewed, why it has not been reviewed or how long it will take to complete such review.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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.
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.
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.
Idaho
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