Bryan Kohberger will not be put on trial in Moscow, Idaho, where he is accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022. A judge has granted the suspect's request for a venue change, with the trial location to be determined by the state's Supreme Court, the Idaho Statesman reports. At a hearing on the venue change last month, Latah County Judge John C. Judge said it was "probably, professionally, the most difficult decision I've ever had to make." In his order Monday, he agreed with the defense's argument that media coverage had probably made it impossible for Kohberger to get a fair trial in the county, reports the Washington Post.
The judge said a major challenge was "the ongoing spread of prejudicial misinformation, rumors, and patently false theories of the case on social media outlets such as Facebook, podcasts, and blogs." In a court filing last month, Kohberger's lawyers spoke of a "mob mentality" in the community. "The traumatized town of Moscow is understandably filled with deeply held prejudgment opinions of guilt," they wrote. Kohberger is accused of stabbing four students to death in the off-campus home on Nov. 13, 2022. He faces charges including first-degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. The 29-year-old has been held without bail since his arrest on Dec. 30, 2022.
The judge also cited logistical issues, CNN reports. "The interest of justice requires that the trial be moved to a venue with the resources, both in terms of personnel and space, necessary to effectively and efficiently handle a trial of this magnitude and length so that the parties and the Court can focus on the case and not on peripheral issues," he wrote. At the hearing last month, prosecutors argued against changing the trial venue, saying the move wasn't "necessary or convenient," the Statesman reports. (More Bryan Kohberger stories.)
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