Bryan Kohberger silent in court so judge enters not guilty plea in University of Idaho murder case
The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students as they slept in their home was met with glares from victims’ emotional families Monday as he stood silent regarding the charges and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Bryan Kohberger was dressed in an orange jail-issued jumpsuit as he entered the Latah County courtroom in Moscow, Idaho — full of the murdered students’ grieving loved ones — after a grand jury returned a five-count indictment against him.
Kohberger nodded as the judge spoke to him, and briefly glanced at the packed gallery as the arraignment got underway.
He spoke briefly but firmly during the long-awaited hearing, responding “Yes” or “Yes, I do” when prompted by the judge.
When asked how he pleaded to the crimes, Kohberger said nothing and his attorney told the court her client was “standing silent.” A not guilty plea was then entered on his behalf by the judge. A trial date has been set for October 2.
District Judge John Judge told Kohberger he faced maximum penalties of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Prosecutors now have 60 days to determine whether to seek the death penalty. The 28-year-old former criminology student was indicted on charges of felony burglary and four counts of first-degree murder over the killings, which took place at an off-campus home on November 13 last year.
Kohberger is accused of killing 21-year-olds Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves and 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.
Judge mispronounced some of the victims’ names while reading the charges, which prompted at least one family member to complain to a court representative, according to Law & Crime Network.
News of the indictment came six months after the four students were killed inside the girls’ rented home in the early hours of the morning.
The victims had been stabbed multiple times between 3 and 4 a.m., and some showed signs of having tried to fight back, police said.
Among the trove of evidence recovered at the scene was a knife sheath left on one of the victims’ beds, which police say had a sample of Kohberger’s DNA on it.
Kohberger had allegedly remained on campus for weeks after the murders before making a cross-country drive with his father to his home state of Pennsylvania.
Authorities ultimately arrested Kohberger, who was studying at nearby Washington State University, at the end of December 2022. He has remained in a Latah County Jail cell since he was extradited from Pennsylvania.
Moscow police received a call just before noon November 13 for a report of an “unconscious person.”
Officers found the four lifeless students on the second and third floors of the home.
Two other roommates were on the bottom floor of the home at the time of the attack and survived.
Roommate Dylan Mortensen told police she heard who she believed was Goncalves saying “something to the effect of ‘there’s someone here,’” according to an unsealed affidavit.
“Mortensen stated she looked out of her bedroom but did not see anything when she heard the comment about someone being in the house,” the affidavit states. “Mortensen stated she opened her door a second time when she heard what she thought was crying coming from Kernodle’s room.
“Mortensen then said she heard a male voice say something to the effect of ‘it’s ok, I’m going to help you.’”
The surviving roommate revealed she later opened her door a third time and came face to face with the suspected killer, whom she described as wearing a mask, having “bushy eyebrows” and being 5 feet 10 or taller, “not very muscular, but athletically built.”
However, police were not called to the house until several hours later. Officials have yet to release a possible motive.
Kohberger has since reportedly been linked to other investigations, including a breaking-and-entering at his WSU classmate’s home.
“Dateline” reported earlier this month Kohberger and the woman had become friendly leading up to the break-in at her home. And when she reported the incident, she asked Kohberger to install a home surveillance system.
Authorities are now reportedly investigating whether Kohberger himself burglarized the woman’s home, and if he subsequently accessed the surveillance system.
Some of Kohberger’s relatives questioned whether he was involved in the quadruple murder when he returned to Pennsylvania and allegedly began wearing latex gloves, “Dateline” reported.
Investigators surveilling Kohberger reportedly saw him using bleach to clean the inside of his Hyundai Elantra — which matched the description of one seen at the crime scene.
Kohberger had initially been scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in early June, which has since been canceled.
Grand jury proceedings are closed-door events that typically remain under seal. An indictment released to the public Wednesday was dated May 16.
During such proceedings, a panel of jurors hears testimony and evidence related to the crime without defense attorneys’ ability to cross-examine witnesses, such as, in this case, the victims’ surviving roommates.
Defense attorneys had argued that surviving roommate Bethany Funke should testify during the hearing, despite her request not to do so.
The grand jury proceedings would have allowed prosecutors to question Funke without the risk of defense attorneys’ probing questions.
