BOISE, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in Moscow in November 2022, will appear in the Ada County courthouse for the first time Thursday, Sept. 26.
The hearing will be a status conference to determine the next steps for the trial – including the start date and the length.
Kohberger's trial was scheduled to start in June 2025, but after his change of venue request was granted, it was moved from Latah County to Ada County the possibility of it starting later could change.
Now, all hearings that were scheduled in Latah County need to be rescheduled in Ada County – and Judge James Cawthon, who is the deputy administrative district judge, said that could mean the timeline of the trial could change.
“All the time schedules that were laid out in Latah County will have to be reset for hearing in Ada County,” Cawthon said.
At the status conference hearing, Judge Stephen Hippler – who is assigned to the case – will also determine whether parties, including the prosecution and defense, can come to the hearings virtually, Cawthon said.
“It's a chance for Judge Hippler, for the counsel involved, to find direction for moving forward and moving the case towards the trial,” Cawthon said.
Cawthon said he expects Kohberger to be at the status conference hearing.
“I'm sure Mr. Kohberger would be present for that hearing,” Cawthon said.
Ada County will also handle all resources for the trial now, Cawthon said, with no help from outside counties. Cawthon said the Ada County Courthouse is used to rearranging on a daily basis, so he expects business to go on as usual, even during the trial.
“I don't think anything's going to be delayed or put off into the future, because we have this trial,” Cawthon said.
Cawthon said this isn’t the first time Ada County has dealt with a case of high interest like this before, so they are prepared and ready.
“We're going to be working with our partners, such as the Sheriff's office, our county commissioners, the courts, to be able to put on a fair trial,” Cawthon said. “A trial that protects the constitutional rights that Mr. Kohberger has and a trial that protects the constitutional, statutory rights that the families of the victims have.”