'Chilling Effect': Bryan Kohberger Prosecutors Demand Cameras Be Barred From Upcoming Trial, Claim Witnesses Are Being Threatened

Prosecutors taking on Bryan Kohberger want to limit cameras in the courtroom citing the graphic details of the crime and “threats and harassment” directed at witnesses, RadarOnline.com had learned.

The decision revealed in court documents marks the first time the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office is on the same page as the quadruple murder suspect who claimed he wouldn’t get a fair trial if cameras televised the gavel-to-gavel proceedings.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported Kohberger is accused of using a hunting knife to eviscerate University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, inside their off-campus home in November 2022.

Prosecutor William W. Thomspon Jr. noted that several university “coeds and family and friends” of the victims are expected to testify in the emotionally charged trial that has captured the attention of the nation.

"This case will necessarily involve not only evidence of a graphic nature but also testimony from a number of young and vulnerable witnesses,” he stated in court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com.

“In addition to, and at least partially as a result of, the substantial traditional and social media coverage, certain witnesses have already been subjected to threats and harassment, including physical intrusions, directed at not only the witnesses and other University coeds, but their extended families and friends.

Thompson did not provide any details to support the allegations but did acknowledge the cameras could interfere with Kohberger’s attempt to get a fair trial.

“The State is concerned that allowing the presence of cameras in the courtroom will have a substantial chilling effect on the ability of witnesses to openly, fully, and candidly testify about some horrible occurrences,” he stated in the court documents. “In addition, the State has a responsibility to take steps to ensure a fair trial for all involved.”

The shocking murders terrorized the university campus during the weeks it took to arrest Kohberger in Pennsylvania in late December with the help of DNA evidence found on a knife sheath underneath Mogen’s corpse.

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Since his arrest, the 28-year-old Ph.D. criminology student at nearby Washington State University has used every trick in the book to delay or dodge the death penalty trial.

Kohberger’s defense team recently filed a motion to have the indictment dismissed "on grounds of a biased grand jury, inadmissible evidence, lack of sufficient evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct by withholding exculpatory evidence."

Kohberger also complained previous footage of the trial disturbed him because of the repeated close-up shots of his face that may contaminate the jury pool — and referred to the media's fascination with the case as “twisted” and “grotesque.”

If convicted, Kohberger could face death by firing squad.