Idaho
Idaho prosecutors object to Bryan Kohberger defense's effort to move trial
Idaho prosecutors have formally objected to University of Idaho students murder suspect Bryan Kohberger’s motion to change venue and have his trial moved out of Latah County, where the slayings took place.
The filing, signed by Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and Ingrid Batey, a special assistant attorney general for the state, was made public Tuesday evening.
“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.”
BRYAN KOHBERGER ASKS COURT FOR CHANGE OF VENUE AFTER DELAYS IN IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS TRIAL
Bryan Kohberger arrives at Monroe County Courthouse in Pennsylvania in advance of the highly anticipated extradition hearing. He is charged with the murders of four University of Idaho students. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
The findings of that survey, they argued, have not justified a move.
“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.
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)
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.
“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.
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Kohberger’s lawyers have claimed that the suspected quadruple murderer cannot get a fair trial in Latah County due to “extensive, inflammatory pretrial publicity.”
Read the filing:
Why would the Court change venue to another county that has nearly the same media saturation as Latah County?
Their client is accused of sneaking into a house at 4 a.m. and ambushing four University of Idaho students, some of whom were sleeping.
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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.
Bryan Kohberger pictured after his extradition to Idaho. He is accused of killing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. (Latah County Sheriff’s Office)
Kohberger, a 29-year-old Pennsylvania criminology Ph.D. student, was attending Washington State University in the neighboring town of Pullman, about 10 miles away across the state line.
Police arrested him at his parents’ house in the Pocono Mountains after he drove cross-country with his dad in the weeks following the murders.
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The University of Idaho is in Moscow, Idaho, the seat of Latah County.
Much of the case has been conducted behind closed doors, with numerous filings made under seal and a restrictive gag order.
Experts say the motion to have the trial moved is a common step in high-profile cases. Changes of venue are rare – but can happen.
Bryan Kohberger, right, was stopped by Indiana police Dec. 15, 2022, on a cross-country drive from Pullman, Washington, to his parents’ house in Pennsylvania, before he was identified as a suspect in the murder of four University of Idaho students. (Hancock County Police Department)
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The double murder trials of Idaho’s “cult mom” Lori Vallow and California’s Scott Peterson both moved out of the counties where the offenses took place.
The judge entered not guilty pleas 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.
The University of Idaho announced last week that it would dedicate a new installation to the victims at a ceremony on Aug. 21.
The Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial was designed by classmates from the school’s College of Art and Architecture and is meant to honor all students who have died while enrolled at the university. It includes a special sculpture for the four November 2022 victims.
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
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.
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