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Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger appears in court in bid to overturn indictment claiming ‘insufficient evidence’ and ‘juror bias’

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Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger appears in court in bid to overturn indictment claiming ‘insufficient evidence’ and ‘juror bias’


The man suspected of savagely knifing four college students to death last November will appear in court in Idaho today in a bid to have his indictment overturned due to ‘insufficient evidence’ and alleged juror bias.

Criminology student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was indicted by an Idaho grand jury who heard the evidence during a closed-door session in May and decided to send the case to a full trial.

Kohberger, who refused to make a plea and instead chose to ‘stand silent’ at a hearing the same month, now wants to void the decision and proceed to a preliminary hearing to test the evidence against him.

Should events go his way, prosecutors in Moscow, Idaho, would be forced to argue their case in a mini trial which could result in Kohberger’s release should a judge agree that police do not have enough evidence to secure a conviction.

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The Washington State University PHD candidate was arrested last December and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one of burglary over the horror attack which left a scene so appalling, police described it as ‘the worst we’ve ever seen’.

Bryan Kohberger (pictured last month) will appear in Latah County Court Thursday for a two-part hearing where his attorneys will argue that his indictment should be dismissed

Kohberger is the only suspect in the quadruple murders of Maddie Mogen (top) Kaylee Goncalves (second from left) Xana Kernodle (second from right) and Ethan Chapin (center) - all students at the University of Idaho - who were knifed to death on November 13, 2022 in the quiet, college town of Moscow

Kohberger is the only suspect in the quadruple murders of Maddie Mogen (top) Kaylee Goncalves (second from left) Xana Kernodle (second from right) and Ethan Chapin (center) – all students at the University of Idaho – who were knifed to death on November 13, 2022 in the quiet, college town of Moscow

DailyMail.com visited the students' former home in Moscow, Idaho, which university officials plan to demolish, however it remained intact but boarded up on Wednesday

DailyMail.com visited the students’ former home in Moscow, Idaho, which university officials plan to demolish, however it remained intact but boarded up on Wednesday  

Best friends Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and young couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, were all killed in their beds at the three women’s rented home.

The attack was so brutal, blood could still be seen dripping down the walls of gray-painted home days after the killing.

In the wake of the murders, the house was turned over to the University of Idaho which plans to knock it down to make way for a memorial to the murdered students.

When DailyMail.com visited on Wednesday, it remained intact but is boarded up and guarded by college security guards.

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A hearing on Kohberger’s motion to vacate his indictment will be held at Latah County Court in two parts: a closed morning session and an afternoon session that will be open to the public and media.

In the morning session, Kohberger’s defense attorney Anne Taylor will argue that the indictment should be dismissed based on a ‘Biased Grand Jury, Inadmissible Evidence, Lack of Sufficient Evidence, and Prosecutorial Misconduct in Withholding Exculpatory Evidence’.

Like the hearing, the motion arguing the case is sealed and could not be reviewed by DailyMail.com.

The second part of the day will see Taylor argue for a dismissal based on an error in the instructions handed to the jury, saying that jurors were ‘misled’ on the standard of proof required for an indictment.

In a closed-door morning session Thursday, Kohberger's defense attorney argued that the indictment should be dismissed based on a 'Biased Grand Jury, Inadmissible Evidence, Lack of Sufficient Evidence, and Prosecutorial Misconduct in Withholding Exculpatory Evidence'

In a closed-door morning session Thursday, Kohberger’s defense attorney argued that the indictment should be dismissed based on a ‘Biased Grand Jury, Inadmissible Evidence, Lack of Sufficient Evidence, and Prosecutorial Misconduct in Withholding Exculpatory Evidence’

An afternoon session that will be open to the public and media will hear the defense's motion to dismiss on grounds of 'error in grand jury instructions'

An afternoon session that will be open to the public and media will hear the defense’s motion to dismiss on grounds of ‘error in grand jury instructions’ 

A small memorial paying tribute to the four college students is seen outside the home where the horrific murders took place

A small memorial paying tribute to the four college students is seen outside the home where the horrific murders took place

Kohberger’s bid for freedom comes 10 months after he was apprehended during a raid on his parents’ Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania home on December 30 before being flown back to Idaho in a small Pilatus PC-12 turboprop plane on January 4.

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Since being returned to the Gem State, the alleged killer has been locked up at the Latah County Jail, with prison sources telling DailyMail.com he spends his time obsessing over TV coverage of the case and has turned to God – meeting with a local pastor every Sunday.

Kohberger has been locked up at the Latah County Jail since being flown back to Idaho on January 4

Kohberger has been locked up at the Latah County Jail since being flown back to Idaho on January 4

The November 2022 killings shocked the tiny college town of Moscow which had not seen a single murder for seven years when Madison, Kaylee, Ethan and Xana were found dead in their beds.

Police initially appeared to be stumped by the murders and issued a series of contradictory statements over whether the students had been targeted and whether the public was at risk.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, they released a photo of a white Hyundai Elantra and a plea for further information about the vehicle’s movements and owner.

The car turned out to belong to Kohberger who, in an extraordinary twist, was pulled over twice while driving the vehicle back to Pennsylvania in early December.

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Since his arrest, it has emerged that loner Kohberger had battled heroin addiction in his teens and early twenties and was banned from a bar near his parents’ home due to his creepy behavior towards women.

Police sources have since said that following his move to Pullman, Washington, to pursue a PHD in criminology, he applied to work for the Washington State University police department – but was turned down.

The manner in which the killer navigated the three-story home to kill the four students – who were sleeping in separate rooms and floors – in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022 has raised questions about his motives

The manner in which the killer navigated the three-story home to kill the four students – who were sleeping in separate rooms and floors – in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022 has raised questions about his motives 

Investigators were seen in January removing a bloodied mattress from the home where four University of Idaho were murdered in November

Investigators were seen in January removing a bloodied mattress from the home where four University of Idaho were murdered in November

Fellow students said he took an unusual amount of interest in the Moscow murder case and described his ‘sexist’ attitude towards women in his classes.

As a result of his ‘rude behavior’ towards women and his penchant for grading them differently, he was fired by his professor at the WSU criminology department John Snyder on December 19 – just days before his arrest for murder.

Over the weekend, a Dateline report provided further evidence of his bizarre behavior with a female friend at WSU claiming he broke into her home a month before the murders and moved her possessions about to make her feel ‘uneasy’.

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She also said she had asked him to set up security cameras to help her catch the person who had moved her belongings – only to belatedly realize he was the culprit and, chillingly, had enjoyed access to the footage.

Kohberger is believed to have meticulously planned the murders of Madison, Kaylee, Ethan and Xana, with a probable cause affidavit noting that he had repeatedly visited the area around their home prior to the killings.

The document also said his DNA was found on a KA-BAR knife sheath found next to the bodies of Kaylee and Madison, and that he was seen in the home by roommate Dylan Mortensen, 19.

Kaylee and Madison were discovered dead in bed next to each other, while Ethan and Xana were found on the floor below, with Xana discovered slumped over on the floor of her bedroom.

Kohberger, meanwhile, has maintained his innocence in the case, and due to a sprawling gag order, few details have emerged. He chose to 'stand silent' during his arraignment in May instead of entering a plea

Kohberger, meanwhile, has maintained his innocence in the case, and due to a sprawling gag order, few details have emerged. He chose to ‘stand silent’ during his arraignment in May instead of entering a plea

According to the document, survivors Mortensen and Bethany Funke heard something of what happened, with Mortensen telling cops she heard Goncalves say ‘there’s someone here’ at approximately 4am.

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Ten minutes later, she heard a thud and crying from Xana’s room and a male voice saying ‘it’s ok, I’m going to help you’.

At 4:17am, a dog was captured barking loudly on a neighbor’s security camera. Around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall male with bushy eyebrows leaving through the sliding glass doors at the back of the home.

She described how she had been ‘frozen in shock’ as the black-clad male walked towards her and said she locked herself in her room after he left.

A shoe print was later found outside her door.

The affidavit also reveals that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was captured on camera near the scene before being seen driving rapidly away from the home towards Pullman at approximately 4.20am.

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Police rapidly connected the vehicle to Kohberger and noted the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen’s description of the intruder at the rental home.



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Idaho

Hundreds attend North Idaho Business Expo, career fair

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Hundreds attend North Idaho Business Expo, career fair



COEUR d’ALENE — Henry Wolsten didn’t have a booth at the North Idaho Business Expo and Career Fair, but perhaps he should have.

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The owner and manager of Spring Chicken Socials was on the lookout for young people, college graduates and freelancers “looking to help their local community and help them foster and grow rather than taking their skills and assets elsewhere.”

Wolsten’s independent social media marketing company could use photographers, videographers and graphic designers, and he hoped to find them at the expo at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

He talked with several people, explained who he was and what he did, and learned about their work plans and hopes.

“I’m having a blast so far,” Wolsten said. “I like meeting people with startups because I feel I can relate to them.”

Nearly 80 businesses and organizations manned booths at the annual event organized by the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber and Post Falls Area Chamber.

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When it opened at 4 p.m. a crowd of young and old flowed through the doors and in the first 30 minutes, hundreds had talked to vendors about jobs and services and also came away with plenty of prizes.

Engineering, banking, health care, higher education and tourism were just some of the fields represented at the three-hour fair.

“I love bringing the community together and having them learn about businesses,” said Christina Petit, Post Falls Area Chamber president and CEO.

Miquel Butler, ticket supervisor with the Route of the Hiawatha, said they were looking to hire about 50 people before their Memorial Day weekend opening. 

They were offering in the $12 to $14 an hour range for positions including trail marshals, bus drivers, bike rental technicians and cashiers. They were also offering discounted housing in the Silver Valley.

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“We’re expecting a busy summer,” she said. 

Bob and Marilyn Weaver of Bayview were making the rounds. Married 64 years, they enjoy getting out and learning what companies have to offer.

“We like to see what the vendors are in the area,” Bob Weaver said.

They enjoyed the expo’s friendly atmosphere and high-energy vibes.

“It’s a good show,” Marilyn Weaver said. 

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Likewise for Florence Stovall, who was there with her husband, Earl Stovall.

“For the free stuff,” she said. 



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Remains of missing Idaho woman, Gwen Brunelle, reportedly found in Oregon

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Remains of missing Idaho woman, Gwen Brunelle, reportedly found in Oregon


MALHEUR COUNTY, Oregon — Remains of a missing Boise woman, Gwen Brunelle, have been found in Malheur County, Oregon according to the missing woman’s family and the search company they hired.

A news release from Aloft Drone Search, says the company was contacted by Gwen’s family to help find her. Aloft Drone Search analyzed thousands of images taken by a drone company based in Homedale, Idaho.

After about a month, Aloft Drone search says they spotted what they believed to be human remains, and contacted the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.

Search resumed in the case of missing Boise woman Gwen Brunelle

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According to Aloft Drone Search, the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office confirmed what was seen in the imagery were human remains.

Idaho News 6 contacted Brunelle’s uncle, who confirmed the family posts updates online on a website dedicated to the search. The site includes many updates since Brunelle was initially reported missing in June 2023.

According to the website, the found remains were found in the Succor Creek area, a few miles west of Highway 95. The remains were then sent to the Oregon State Medical Examiner.

On April 30, the family says the County Undersheriff notified them that the remains were identified as Gwen Brunelle.

On the site, Brunelle’s family offers their thanks to the many people who aided their search.

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“We are very thankful for the volunteers at Aloft Drone Search for their hours of poring over photographs that helped lead to a result. So too the work of Terrevata for the aerial photography. And especially the devoted volunteers at Mountain States Detection Dogs for their tireless efforts, and for finding the first clue – Gwen’s t-shirt – last September that helped establish where to focus search efforts. Finally the Malheur County Sheriffs office who responded quickly and acted on information when we found it.”

Idaho News 6 has reached out to the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office for more information, but we have yet to hear back.





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Southwest Region rainbow trout stocking schedule – May

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Southwest Region rainbow trout stocking schedule – May


For maps of these fishing locations and other angling destinations in Idaho please visit the Idaho Fish Planner

Many of the waters highlighted above are easy to access, family-friendly fishing destinations. All you need to get started is a fishing license and some basic tackle.

Fishing for stocked rainbow trout, particularly in community ponds, is a great way to introduce new anglers to the sport by using simple (and relatively thrifty) set-ups like worm/marshmallow combinations or commercial baits like Power Bait or Crave, either near the bottom or below a bobber. The Learn to Fish webpage offers diagrams for basic bait rigs.

Most Idaho waters are open to fishing year-round, but some may have slightly different rules. Be sure to pick up a 2022-24 Idaho Fishing Seasons and Rules Booklet, which outlines season dates, special regulations and bag limits, at any Idaho Fish and Game offices or most sporting goods stores statewide.

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Need a little help reading Idaho’s fishing regulations? Click here to view a short video on how to use the fishing season and rules book.

 



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