University of Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger's Defense Team Demands Phone Data They Claim Supports 'Stargazing' Alibi
Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
May 23 2024, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Bryan Kohberger, accused of killing four University of Idaho students, was back in court on Thursday, May 23.
Kohberger's defense attorneys asked the judge to order the prosecution to turn over cellphone tower data and other evidence they claim supports his "alibi," RadarOnline.com has learned.
The judge in the Bryan Kohberger trial has ruled to change the venue of the trial, leading to a new venue and new judge for the quadruple murder case.
The evidence requested by the defense team includes cellphone data; dash camera footage from Kohberger's arrest at his parent's Pennsylvania home; video and audio recordings of a white sedan at the crime scene; and lab testing results that were used to arrest Kohberger.
The defense team additionally called in a witness to testify about the cell phone tower data that they claim supports Kohberger's alibi that he was driving around stargazing on the night of the murders.
Kohberger's attorneys claim their client was stargazing several miles away on the night of the murders.
"Mr. Kohberger was out driving in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, as he often did to hike and run and/or see the moon and stars. He drove throughout the area south of Pullman, Washington, west of Moscow, Idaho including Wawawai Park," Kohberger's attorney stated.
Kohberger's attorneys argue he was nowhere near the crime scene on the night of the murders; however, the prosecution claims cellphone tower pings placed him near the off-campus house where the four students were killed.
The defense team argues Kohberger was nowhere near the Moscow home on the night of the murders.
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Kohberger's defense team previously argued that the DNA evidence may have been planted — and said state prosecutors have not turned over all evidence in the case.
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The defense team additionally filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing inadmissible evidence, a biased grand jury, and prosecutorial misconduct. Judge John Judge, who is overseeing the case, denied the motion.
Meanwhile, the victim's loved ones have expressed hope that a trial date will be set soon, adding the process is taking too long.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were fatally stabbed at their off-campus home.
In the early hours of November 13, 2022, four students — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin — were brutally killed at their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
A "military-style" knife was used to fatally stab all four students. Two other roommates were at home at the time of the murders but were not harmed.
The shocking quadruple killing rocked the town of Moscow. At the time, Kohberger was a PhD student studying criminal justice and criminology at nearby Washington State University, located about 10 miles away from Moscow.
Seven weeks after the killings, Kohberger was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.