Bryan Kohberger’s defense team has filed motions to suppress crucial evidence in the Moscow quadruple homicide case, but a judge has refused to grant them more time to review additional evidence.
In documents released Friday, Kohberger’s lawyers argue that evidence obtained through search warrants, including his genetic data, vehicle search, online and phone records, and evidence collected from his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, should be excluded.
The defense contends that the arrest warrant leading to Kohberger’s capture at his parents’ house was unconstitutional. They assert that law enforcement did not knock before entering the home and that the warrant lacked probable cause. They also argue that crucial details were left out, undermining the reliability of the facts presented. As a result, they have requested a Franks hearing to challenge the validity of the search warrant.
Kohberger’s attorneys also dispute the constitutionality of the genetic genealogy investigation that led to the discovery of DNA evidence on a knife sheath at the crime scene. They claim that this DNA evidence was improperly used to link Kohberger to the murders, and that all warrants resulting from this evidence should be excluded.
They argue that without the genetic evidence, there would be no case, no request for phone records, surveillance on his parents’ home, or DNA taken from the garbage outside.
The deadline for filing motions to suppress evidence was Thursday, and the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office has until December 6 to respond. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for January 23, 2025.
Kohberger’s defense team had requested more time to review the substantial amount of discovery in the case, but Judge Steven Hippler denied the request, criticizing the defense for waiting until the day before the deadline to file it. He noted that the prosecution had submitted its discovery by September 6, and the defense could have requested an extension much earlier.
Kohberger is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the November 2022 stabbing deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
He could face the death penalty if convicted, with his trial scheduled for August 2025.
