Bryan Kohberger, accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, received a legal win when a judge granted his request to wear street clothes instead of an orange prison jumpsuit during his court appearances.
During Thursday’s hearing, the judge ruled that Kohberger will decide his attire for future hearings after consulting with security officials.
Kohberger’s defense argued that allowing him to wear street clothes would help reduce potential jury bias and ensure a fair trial. On Monday, his attorneys filed a motion requesting that he be permitted to wear street clothes at all public hearings in his ongoing case.
Bryan Kohberger arrives for a hearing in Latah County District Court on September 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. He is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022 and is in jail awaiting his trial, which is expected to begin on June 2, 2025.
Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty Images
Kohberger, 29, is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin on November 13, 2022, at their Moscow, Idaho, home.
Kohberger, 29, is in jail awaiting his trial, which is expected to begin on June 2, 2025. He is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
Kohberger attorney Anne Taylor filed a motion in Ada County courthouse in Idaho on Monday, arguing that the orange jumpsuit would make Kohberger look guilty in front of jurors.
Lawyers often request that their clients in custody wear civilian clothes in court and hide signs of imprisonment, such as handcuffs or leg restraints.
Kohberger had been allowed to wear a suit and tie during recent hearings in Latah County, and his lawyer wants that to continue now that the trial has been moved to Ada County. After the Idaho Supreme Court ordered the trial moved, Kohberger was transferred to the Ada County Jail in Boise.
Originally, the trial was set for Latah County, where the killings occurred. Kohberger’s legal team asked for the change of venue, arguing that extensive media coverage could influence jurors. Judge John Judge granted the request on September 9.
In his ruling, Judge criticized the spread of “misinformation, rumors and false theories” on social media and said that in a small county like Latah news spreads quickly. He added that while media coverage is widespread, it may have a bigger impact in smaller communities.
“Considering the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the news coverage in this case, and the smaller population in Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of demonstrating ‘a reasonable likelihood’ that prejudicial news coverage will compromise a fair trial in Latah County,” Judge wrote. “Thus, the court will grant Kohberger’s motion to change venue for presumed prejudice.”
He also said it would be “inconvenient” and “present serious safety risks” to hold the trial in Latah County.
“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 parties and the Court can focus on the case and not on peripheral issues,” Judge wrote.
