MOSCOW, IDAHO: Suspected killer Bryan Kohberger’s defense attorney recently claimed that he had a habit of "going for drives alone" and did so on the night when four Idaho students were killed in their off-campus accommodation. The Washington University Student, 28, is currently accused of fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in the early hours of November 13, 2022.
Kohberger’s trial has been scheduled for October 2023, and the prosecution has stated that they would be seeking the death penalty. They have also filed a request to compel the suspect to provide an alibi. On August 2, 2023, Kohberger’s defense attorney Anne Taylor revealed the alibi in a new motion, which stated that he is "not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time" but that "he was out, driving during the late night and early morning hours of November 12-13, 2022.” The motion also stated that cross-examination could be helpful in uncovering witnesses and corroborating evidence.
What was Bryan Kohberger doing on the night of Idaho murders?
The fresh motion, filed in Latah County District Court, started by noting that Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone. "Often he would go for drives at night. He did so late on November 12 and into November 13, 2022," the court document stated, adding, 'Mr Kohberger is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time. At this time there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Mr. Kohberger was at each moment of the hours between late night November 12 and early morning November 13."
The motion also asserted that "corroboration of Bryan Kohberger NOT being at 1122 King may be brought out through cross-examination of the state’s witnesses. At this time, Mr Kohberger cannot be more specific about the possible witnesses and exactly what they will say." This new motion came after Kohberger’s defense filed a motion to dismiss the case, asking for the matter to be dismissed or remanded for a preliminary hearing.
In an effort to contest the jury selection procedure, his legal team also submitted a plea to suspend proceedings without relinquishing his right to a speedy trial. Both sets of lawyers submitted motions demanding exhibits be sealed and kept from being relayed to the public during the trial, according to Daily Mail.
Was DNA linking Bryan Kohberger to knife sheath fabricated?
In July, Kohberger's team filed a separate defense, alleging that DNA connecting him to the knife sheath may have been fabricated. "What the State's argument asks this Court and Mr Kohberger to assume is that the DNA on the sheath was placed there by Mr Kohberger, and not someone else during an investigation that spans hundreds of members of law enforcement and apparently at least one lab the State refuses to name," they wrote.
Previously, a criminal affidavit that was filed in January revealed that investigators identified Kohberger as the suspect with the help of a DNA sample that was found on a knife sheath recovered at the crime scene close to the bodies of Mogen and Goncalves. Investigators closely matched the DNA on the sheath to DNA found in the trash taken from Kohberger's parents' home in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested on December 30, 2022.
