The murder trial for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, was pushed back Wednesday to August.
Court records show the trial is expected to run from Aug. 11 to Nov. 7, 2025, in Boise at the Ada County Courthouse. The end date of the trial would be almost exactly three years since Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in their off-campus Moscow home.
Kohberger, a 29-year-old former Washington State University student, is facing four counts of first-degree murder in their homicides and could receive the death penalty if convicted.
Latah County District Judge John Judge originally set the trial date for June of next year, but after the trial was moved to Boise for concerns over media saturation and finding an undecided pool of jurors, Ada County District Judge Steven Hippler was reassigned to oversee the trial. He noted in a Sept. 26 hearing the stakes within the case are "as high as they can be."
In the hearing, Hippler voiced concerns about a jury willing to give up three months of their summer to sit on a trial, particularly people with children. He suggested a May start date, which the prosecution preferred, but Kohberger defense attorney Anne Taylor pushed back. She told Hippler one of the defense experts died recently, and the team needed time to prepare a new expert.
Taylor also has hinted in previous hearings there's a vast amount of evidence in the case that takes time to sift through. As of last year, court records say the prosecution has turned over 51 terabytes of audio and visual materials, 10,200 photographs, 10,000 pages of written materials and 9,200 law enforcement tips.
Taylor said in the September hearing she is estimating four weeks for the defense to present their evidence during trial and two weeks to present evidence against the death penalty, should Kohberger be convicted.
Ada County's jury selection will begin July 30 according to court records. Kohberger's final hearing before trial is scheduled for May 15.
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