Ahead of Bryan Kohberger’s trial in the University of Idaho murders later this year, a presiding judge ruled on specific wording that can and can’t be used in court.
Bryan Kohberger’s case is moving forward—with some eye-catching conditions.
As the 30-year-old’s trial for the 2022 murders of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin approaches, a presiding judge has denied his legal team’s motion to exclude references to “bushy eyebrows,” according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
Specifically, Ada County judge Steven Hippler ruled that one of the two surviving roommates in the November 2022 attack—referred to as “D.M.” in the docs—will be allowed to testify about the physical detail, as it is “highly relevant” to the case, he said.
“D.M. is the only eyewitness to the intruder responsible for the homicides,” Hippler wrote in his ruling, per the Idaho Statesman. “It is the jury’s task to determine whether (the) defendant is that person.”
The judge also sided with prosecutors by permitting the use of the words “murder” or “murderer” in describing Kohberger—who has pled not guilty in the case—as well as permitting the use of his Amazon purchase history in evidence.
However, some of Kohberger’s motions were granted, including his request that the words “psychopath” and “sociopath” not be permissible in court. The judge also partly granted the defense’s request not to use the Kohberger’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and characteristics as evidence against him.
During a previous court hearing, Hippler heard arguments from Kohberger’s attorneys as to how his autism diagnosis could influence a jury as prosecutors seek the death penalty in the case.
“Due to his ASD, Mr. Kohberger simply cannot comport himself in a manner that aligns with societal expectations of normalcy,” his defense lawyers argued at the April 9 hearing, per NBC News. “This creates an unconscionable risk that he will be executed because of his disability rather than his culpability.”
While a decision on whether to strike the death penalty has not yet been made, prosecutors did agree not to bring up Kohberger’s autism diagnosis as an “aggravator” to help arguments for capital punishment, NBC News reported at the time.
Jury selection in the case is set to begin in July. In the meantime, keep reading for more details on the murders.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Who Were Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle?
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were University of Idaho students who lived in an off-campus apartment.
On Nov. 12, 2022—the night before their bodies were found—Goncalves and Mogen were at a nearby sports bar, while Kernodle and Chapin were at the latter’s fraternity party. By 2 a.m. on Nov. 13, the four roommates and Chapin were back at the three-story rental house.
Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies at the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She was expected to graduate in December before heading to Austin, Tex., for a job at a marketing firm, her friend Jordyn Quesnell told The New York Times.
Mogen, who was studying marketing, was best friends with Goncalves since the sixth grade. She had plans to move to Boise after graduation, family friend Jessie Frost shared with The Idaho Statesman.
Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing, the University said at the time. She and Chapin—who majored in recreation, sport and tourism management—had been dating since the spring, the roommates’ neighbor Ellie McKnight told NBC News.
Were There Any Survivors?
Two roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, had been home at the time of the murders. In text messages that were unsealed March 6, 2025, Mortensen and Funke tried contacting their roommates on Nov. 13 after the former saw a masked man moving through the house, according to documents obtained by E! News.
“No one is answering,” Mortensen texted Funke at 4:22 a.m. “I’m rlly confused rn.”
She continued to reach out to their roommates, urging them to respond. “Pls answer,” she texted Goncalves at 4:32 a.m. and again at 10:23 a.m. “R u up??”
At 11:58 a.m., a 911 call was placed after Kernodle was found unresponsive, per an additional motion obtained by E! News. A woman named A1 in the transcript described the current situation to the operator.
“One of the roommates who’s passed out and she was drunk last night and she’s not waking up,” she said on the phone. “They saw some man in their house last night.”
Who Is Bryan Kohberger and How Was He Found?
Bryan Kohberger, who has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, was a doctoral candidate at Washington State University. Over one month after the bodies of Gonclaves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin were discovered, Kohberger was taken into custody Dec. 30 in Monroe County, Penn. He was extradited to Idaho Jan. 4.
As for how authorities connected him to the killings? DNA was found on a knife sheath that was left at the crime scene, prosecutors revealed in June 2023 court documents, per NBC News.
When the DNA didn’t match anyone in the FBI database, authorities ran the DNA through public ancestry websites to create a list of potential suspects, according to the filings. After learning that Kohberger had driven to his parents’ home in Monroe County, local officials then went through their trash and found DNA that tied him to that found on the sheath.
What Is Kohberger’s Defense Arguing?
At the moment, a motive for the attack has not been detailed and a gag order prevents many involved in the case from speaking publicly, NBC News reported. However, the unsealed documents provided some insight into their arguments.
Kohberger’s attorneys argued in a motion obtained by E! News to strike the death penalty that Kohberger—who could face the death penalty if found guilty on all counts, a judge ruled in November 2024—has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that executing him would violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on “cruel and unusual punishment.”
His defense argued that Kohbereger “displays extremely rigid thinking, perseverates on specific topics, processes information on a piecemeal basis, struggles to plan ahead, and demonstrates little insight into his own behaviors and emotions.”
“Due to his ASD, Mr. Kohberger simply cannot comport himself in a manner that aligns with societal expectations of normalcy,” the motion said. “This creates an unconscionable risk that he will be executed because of his disability rather than his culpability.”
Where Does the Case Stand Today?
Kohberger had a judge enter a not-guilty plea to the first-degree murder charges on his behalf after remaining silent at his May 2023 arraignment. Although his trial was set to begin Oct. 2, 2023, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial in August 2023.
His new trial date—which will take place in Ada County, more than 300 miles from Latah County, where the killings took place—is set to begin Aug. 11, 2025.
Latah County Judge John Judge ruled in favor of the transfer request made by Kohberger’s defense in September 2024 based on “presumed prejudice” if the trial remained in Latah County.
Ada County Judge Steven Hippler—who is now presiding over the case—denied the defense’s request to suppress key DNA and other evidence, including cell phone and email records, surveillance footage, past Amazon purchases and DNA evidence in the trial.
Source: www.eonline.com