Judge Denies Idaho College Murders Suspect’s Motions to Suppress Evidence
A judge has denied Idaho college murders suspect Bryan Kohberger’s motions to suppress key evidence collected during search warrants, dealing his defense team a severe blow. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho undergrads in 2022.
During a hearing last month, Kohberger’s defense team brought up two DNA samples from unidentified males found at the crime scene. These samples were recovered from a handrail and a glove outside the King Road home where the four students were fatally stabbed. The defense argued that the presence of these DNA samples could mean that Kohberger is not related to the crime at all. However, the judge seemed unconvinced that this would be sufficient reason to throw out probable cause for Kohberger’s arrest.
In addition to the DNA samples, investigators found a Ka-Bar knife sheath under one of the victim’s bodies, with Kohberger’s DNA still present on it. This evidence further implicated Kohberger in the murders.
Judge Hippler denied Kohberger a Frank’s hearing, which would have allowed his attorneys to challenge the police investigation that led to his arrest. Kohberger, a Ph.D. student in criminology and criminal justice at Washington State University, was arrested in December 2022, just 10 miles away from the University of Idaho where the murders took place.
Following a two-month investigation, Kohberger was apprehended at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. Prior to his arrest, he and his father were stopped twice by Indiana law enforcement during a cross-country drive from Washington to Pennsylvania.
Kohberger’s trial is set to begin in August, and if convicted, he could face the death penalty.
