Accused Idaho murderer Bryan Kohberger arrives in Boise after judge grants change of trial venue

New York Post via MSN ^ | September 16, 2024 | Zoe Hussain

[ProtectOurFreedom]

University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger looked scruffy in a new mugshot after being flown hundreds of miles in preparation for his trial.

Kohberger, 29, was flown Sunday to Idaho’s capital, Boise, after being granted a change of venue to take his trial away from Latah County, where he’s accused of brutally stabbing the four students in their rental home in Moscow.

Kohberger was seen arriving in Boise on a small plane and was transferred to a Black SUV in an orange jumpsuit and cuffs.

A new mugshot taken on his arrival at the Ada County Sheriff’s Office shows the murder suspect staring intently ahead with a stubbly face and unkempt hair.

District Judge John Judge ordered the transfer last Monday, citing several reasons to move the trial to a larger courthouse and remove him from the location of the crime — including fears people would want to “burn the courthouse down” if he was acquitted.

Kohberger’s defense alleged there would be unfair prejudice due to pre-trial publicity if the trial were to be held in the “tight-knit” Latah County where jurors were more likely to have an emotional response to the killings, court records show.

Ada County, home to Boise, was seen as more favorable to the defense due to its higher population and the likelihood that media consumption about Kohberger and the murders would be more “diluted” than in Latah, court papers said.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

There's a large student body in Boise with Boise State and it is the liberal state capitol of Idaho. I wonder how those factors will influence jurors.

[Valpal1]

A lot less than the actual evidence they have. This is a murder trial, not some she said/he said dispute.

[Alter Kaker]

Maybe liberal for Idaho but Ada County still voted for Trump

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Zoolander: Blue Steel

[CommerceComet]

With a gag order in place, no one really knows what evidence the prosecution has. However, it creates a void that is a ripe environment for rumors. Which of the rumors are true, no one really knows other than a small group of LE personnel and the defense attorney.

If the prosecution has the evidence, then the change of venue should make no difference. If Kohberger is guilty, I want the process to be a fair process while making that determination and if he's not guilty, I want him to be acquitted and the true perpetrators found and convicted. I think a change in venue helps in that regard. It makes sense that trial be held in Ada County rather than Latah County.

While there are lots of unanswered questions, at least based on public information, I lean toward the position that LE got the right guy but the trial might show different.

[WASCWatch]

A very fair comment by you. This case is not as clear-cut as most casual followers think.

Many people think he left town in a hurry, but it was immediately after the semester at WSU.

Also interesting is that only a very small sample of DNA was found on just the snap of the knife sheath. The FBI couldn’t confirm it was his, but some new unproven lab in Texas claims it’s his.

This raises a number of questions. Biggest one for me is wouldn’t the murderer have sheath attached to a belt?

Maybe he did it, but the evidence so far, or the lack of it, is suspicious. Maybe they have a lot more. If so, I am surprised it hasn’t been leaked.

[Rdct29]

There's a lot of questions surrounding this case. I thought it was cut and dry until I started looking at it more closely. The family of one of the victims is saying they are going to Boise to post fliers about Kohlberg’s guilt. They are trying to poison potential jurors. I understand they want justice but that's not the way you go about it. There's a police body-cam video from a cop doing alcohol patrol close to the house. His camera picks up four people walking swiftly on a path leading from the house. The time is right around when the murders happened. I don't think the police ever found these people for questioning. I think the murders were probably carried out by more than one person. The cameras in the area of the house picked up a lot of yelling and screaming that night. They also picked up suspicious people close to the scene. I will wait for the evidence before I convict this guy. I think people will be surprised by the case the defense puts on