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University of Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Was Out on a Solo Drive the Night of the Killings, His Attorneys Say
"Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone," his attorneys said in a recent court filing.
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the murders of four University of Idaho students, says he was out for a drive at the time of the November 2022 slayings, according to a new court filing.
Kohberger, 28, was indicted in May on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. He is accused of killing Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
His attorneys explained in a motion filed Wednesday that Kohberger often would drive alone at night. The motion was filed to object the prosecution’s request for an alibi the night of the murders.
“Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone,” the defense said in court documents obtained by CBS News. “Often he would go for drives at night,” which they said Kohberger did on the night of Nov. 12 into the morning of Nov. 13, which matches the timeline of the killings.
“Mr. Kohberger is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time; at this time there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Mr. Kohberger was at each moment of the hours between late night November 12, 2022 and early morning November 13, 2022,” his attorneys said.
The bodies of four University of Idaho students were found in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho just before noon of Nov. 13, when someone called 911. They had each suffered multiple stab wounds.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania at his family’s home on December 30. He is being held at Latah County Jail without bail.
His attorneys said in Wednesday’s filing that, through expert witness testimony and cross-examination of the state’s witnesses, they will try and corroborate that Kohberger was not present at the home on King Road where the grisly stabbings took place.
“At this time, Mr. Kohberger cannot be more specific about the possible witnesses and exactly what they will say,” the filing said.
A judge entered a not guilty plea on Kohberger’s behalf during his May arraignment.
At the time of the killings, Kohberger was a doctoral student studying criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University, located approximately seven miles away from the University of Idaho.
Authorities say DNA matching Kohberger was found on the Ka-Bar knife sheath, which is suspected to be the murder weapon after it was recovered at the crime scene.
“What the State’s argument asks this Court and Mr. Kohberger to assume is that the DNA on the sheath was placed there by Mr. Kohberger, and not someone else during an investigation that spans hundreds of members of law enforcement and apparently at least one lab the State refuses to name,” Kohberger’s legal team stated in court filings last month, arguing the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence.
In June, prosecutors announced that they will be seeking the death penalty against Kohberger.
