The judge overseeing the case of Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with the killing of four University of Idaho students, has ruled that only one seat will be reserved for a journalist in his upcoming trial.
In a ruling on Wednesday, Judge Steven Hippler said providing reserved seating “for endless representatives of various ‘media’ types… would result in most all the limited available seats being spoken for,” preventing members of the general public attending.
But he said that since the trial has been transferred hundreds of miles away from where the crime occurred, the citizens of Latah County should have representation. Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Ada County last year.
“One pooled seat for a member of Latah County local media of wide circulation will be reserved,” he said in the ruling.
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Other reporters and members of the public will need to use the court’s online ticketing system for a chance to attend the trial.
Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. They were found fatally stabbed in a rental home near the university’s campus in Moscow in the early hours of November 13, 2022.
Kohberger, who was a graduate student at Washington State University in nearby Pullman, Washington, at the time of the slayings, stood silent when asked to enter a plea, prompting a judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
The trial is set to begin on August 11 and run through November 7.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.