The October trial date for Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, is likely to be delayed, according to legal experts.
Kohberger, 28, opted to “stand silent” at his arraignment in Latah County District Court on Monday, prompting the judge to enter not guilty pleas on his behalf.
He is accused of breaking into a rental home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13 and fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
At the time of the killings, Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at nearby Washington State University. He was arrested on December 30 at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.
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A grand jury last week indicted him on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
At his arraignment, Kohberger declined to waive his right to a speedy trial. The judge scheduled the trial, expected to last up to six weeks, to begin October 2.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson has until around the middle of July to inform the court whether he will seek the death penalty in the case.
Legal experts say that the trial start date could be delayed.
“The current trial date is very much a placeholder,” Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor and elected state attorney, told Newsweek. “Two likely scenarios exist. The prosecutor files a notice of intent to seek the death penalty and the trial date is pushed back.
“Another possible trajectory is that the defense and government work to resolve the case and, as part of a guilty plea, the death penalty is not pursued. Of course, the victims’ families would have significant input, but not control, with either of those paths.”
Neama Rahmani, who is president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, said he was not surprised that the date was set for October since Kohberger has a right to a speedy trial.
But he said he expected Kohberger to later waive that, as he did with a preliminary hearing that was scheduled for June but canceled following the grand jury’s indictment.
“I expect him to ‘waive time,’ like he did with the preliminary hearing, and for the case to be pushed out to next year,” Rahmani told Newsweek. “There is a lot of scientific evidence in the case, including cell site (cell phone data) and DNA, and the defense experts will need time to review it and prepare for trial.”
McAuliffe said it was possible the case will proceed “on the current trial track as a non-death penalty case, but it’s the least likely alternative at this juncture.”
Prosecutors have not released any information about how they believe Kohberger may have chosen the victims or if he had met any of them before.
A probable cause affidavit unsealed in early January detailed how investigators pieced together DNA evidence, cellphone data and surveillance video to tie Kohberger to the crime.
DNA recovered from a knife sheath found inside the house where the students died was matched to Kohberger’s father’s DNA, which was recovered from trash outside the Kohberger family home, according to the affidavit.