MOSCOW, Idaho — Two years after four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death in a home near campus their alleged killer is almost 300 miles away in Ada County Jail awaiting his trial.
Bryan Kohberger is accused of killing Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves on Nov. 13, 2022. A not-guilty plea has been entered on Kohberger's behalf.
Here's where the trial stands.
When will the University of Idaho murders trial begin?
Kohberger's trial is scheduled to start Aug. 11, 2025. It is expected to run through Nov. 7, 2025.
Jury selection is scheduled to start July 30, 2025.
Trial proceedings are expected to begin each day at 7:30 a.m. PST and will conclude at around 2:30 p.m. PST.
A final pre-trial conference is set for May 15, 2025 and will continue through May 16, 2025, if needed.
Where will the trial be held?
The trial will be held in Boise, Idaho, instead of Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger filed a motion in January 2024 to change the venue of the trial because of the "extensive, inflammatory pretrial publicity" the case has received in Latah County.
According to the motion, several factors surrounding the case make finding an impartial jury difficult, including the severity of the crimes and the small size of Latah County.
"The size of the community and the interconnectedness of its citizenry is problematic and will prevent a fair and impartial pool of potential jurors," the motion said in part. It goes on to state widening the jury pool won't do anything to overcome the "pervasive prejudicial publicity" because the community is too small to avoid bias.
"A fair and impartial jury cannot be found in Latah County owing to the extensive, inflammatory pretrial publicity, allegations made about Mr. Kohberger to the public by media that will be inadmissible at his trial, the small size of the community, the salacious nature of the alleged crimes, and the severity of the charges Mr. Kohberger faces," the motion said.
A judge found Kohberger was more likely to receive a fair trial in Ada County.
Kohberger was transferred from Moscow to Ada County Jail in September 2024.
Does Kohberger face the death penalty?
Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he's found guilty. However, in a hearing last month, Kohberger's attorney's argued to have it taken off the table, based on a number of arguments that referenced international, federal and state law.
Judge Stephen Hippler of Idaho's 4th District questioned many of the claims and prosecutors noted that the state Supreme Court has allowed the death penalty to stand against similar arguments.
Hippler said he would issue a ruling on the motions at a later date.
Under Idaho law, a jury must unanimously impose a death sentence and can do so if they find at least one aggravating factor in the crime. Prosecutors are arguing four aggravating circumstances.
In Idaho, the death penalty is considered the maximum penalty when it comes to defendants who either plead guilty or are found guilty of first-degree murder. Lethal injection would be the legal form of capital punishment.
What happened in November of 2022?
The night before the murders, Nov. 12, 2022, Mogen and Goncalves went to a local bar and ate at a food truck before going back to the home on King Road. Chapin and Kernodle went to a party at Chapin’s fraternity before returning to the King Road home.
At 2:47 a.m., Kohberger's phone left his residence at Washington State University and traveled south through Pullman before it stopped “reporting to the network,” which investigators said is consistent with the phone being turned off.
At 2:50 a.m., Washington State University surveillance video captured a white 2015 Hyundai Elantra traveling toward state Route 270, which connects Pullman to Moscow.
Multiple videos from the King Road neighborhood allegedly capture Kohberger's Elantra driving around several times about 40 minutes later.
Around 4 a.m., Kernodle received a DoorDash delivery, and phone records show she was using her phone and on TikTok.
At about this time, one of the roommates woke up to what sounded like Goncalves playing with her dog before hearing Goncalves say, “There’s someone here.”
The roommate said she looked outside her room after but did not see anything. The roommate reportedly later heard what sounded like crying from another victim’s bedroom and heard a male say something to the effect of "It's OK. I'm going to help you."
After hearing the crying, the roommate opened her door a third time and reportedly saw a man in “black clothing and a mask” walking toward her that she did not recognize. The roommate told investigators the man walked past her as she stood in a "frozen shock phase." She said she closed her door and locked it as the man left through a sliding door.
At 4:20 a.m., the Elantra was seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed on Palouse River Drive, which eventually leads to Pullman. Twenty-eight minutes later, Kohberger’s cellphone begins reporting to the network that provides coverage to Highway 95, south of Moscow.
DNA evidence obtained from a knife sheath found at the scene and from Kohberger's parents' house was tested at the Idaho State Lab, court documents said. The results showed the DNA from the parents' house was almost certainly from the father of the person whose DNA was on the knife sheath.
FBI agents tracked Kohberger from Washington state to eastern Pennsylvania for several days before he was arrested on Dec. 30. According to investigators, Kohberger and his father made the 2,500-mile road trip in a white Hyundai, the same make and model as a car spotted near the murder scene.
What was the motive?
The motive in the murders remains one of the biggest question marks in the case. Investigators have not revealed why Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle and Chapin were killed or how Kohberger may have known the victims.
Family of the victims said they did not know who Kohberger was when he was arrested.
Tracy Bringhurst, Shannon Moudy, Vinny Saglimbeni and Adel Toay contributed to this story.