Idaho Judge Rejects Bryan Kohberger's Delay Request

An Idaho judge says he won't postpone the quadruple murder trial of a man accused in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students. Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler made the ruling Thursday, telling Bryan Kohberger's attorneys that jury selection will begin Aug. 4 and opening arguments will likely be held around Aug. 18, the AP reports. Hippler also denied the defense's request to present evidence of four "alternate perpetrators" to jurors, after finding that evidence was flimsy at best and would lead to "wild speculation," needlessly dragging out a trial that is already expected to last three months. All four cooperated with investigators, and their DNA didn't match samples taken at the crime scene, Hippler said, and there is no admissible or significant evidence that any one of them had a motive, was present at the crime scene, or was otherwise connected to the crime.

"Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to a reasonable inference that they committed the crime; indeed, it would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding," Hippler wrote in the order. "There is not a scintilla of competent evidence connecting them to the crime." Defense attorney Anne Taylor had asked the judge to delay the proceedings. She said beginning the trial this summer would violate Kohberger's right to a fair trial in part because his defense team was still reviewing evidence and struggling to get potential witnesses to agree to be interviewed. She also said extensive publicity could taint the proceedings and that a cooling off period would help ensure an impartial jury.

But Hippler noted that interest in the case has only grown and that previous delays have only given the media more time to "provide coverage to a public audience which is clamoring for answers." "The longer the public is made to sit and wait for the facts to come out at trial, the more time there is for inflammatory, speculative stories, movies and books to circulate and more time for prior ones to be rebroadcast, purchased, viewed and consumed by the public," he wrote.