The murder trial of Bryan Kohberger will move to Boise, the Idaho Supreme Court announced Thursday.
The court order giving the trial a new venue comes a few days after Idaho Second District Judge John C. Judge agreed with defense lawyers that Kohberger could not receive a fair trial in Moscow, where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their sleep on Nov. 13, 2022.
Citing the intense media coverage of the case and statements made by city officials, Judge had agreed on Monday to move the trial but did not indicate a destination.
On Thursday, the Idaho Supreme Court designated state capital Boise, about 300 miles south of Moscow, as the site of his trial, to be presided over by Fourth District Judge Steve Hippler.
Boise’s Ada County Courthouse has bigger facilities, from courtrooms to security screening areas, and protective routes for witnesses, the court said in its order. It’s much better able to accommodate a trial of this scope than the smaller courthouse in Latah County, where the trial was originally set to take place.
Kohberger is accused of murdering Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in their off-campus home in a crime that shocked the small, close-knit community. A judge entered a not-guilty plea on Kohberger’s behalf after he didn’t answer when asked to enter one last year.
Prosecutors fought against a move, saying the concerns could be addressed by bringing in a larger jury pool and subjecting them to extra scrutiny. In comparison, they said, a trial 300 miles away would make it harder for attorneys, witnesses, family members of the victims and others to attend.
Goncalves’ family had not wanted the trial to be moved, and on Monday said in a statement that they were “incredibly disappointed” at the venue change, CBS News reported.