Surprising New Evidence From Bryan Kohberger's Defense Team

The main attorney for Bryan Kohberger, on trial for the 2022 murder of four college students in Moscow, Idaho, says detectives working on his case found two blood samples at the crime scene they can't identify. These blood samples could be used as part of Kohberger's defense in court.

New Evidence

The "Idaho Statesman" reported DNA from an unknown man was found on a handrail at the off-campus house in Moscow, where the murders happened. Another unknown blood sample was found on a glove near the house, according to Kohberger's lawyer, Anne Taylor. Police say they also found Kohberger's DNA at the house, on a knife sheath that was found in one of the victim's beds.

Quadruple Murder

Kohberger, 30, was a graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. He is accused of killing four college students in November 2022 at an off-campus house on King Road in Moscow, near the state line. Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. The four victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum; Madison Mogen, 21, from Coeur d'Alene; Xana Kernodle, 20, from Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, from Mount Vernon, Washington. The three women lived in the rental house on King Road with two other women who were not hurt in the attack. Chapin, Kernodle's boyfriend, was staying the night at the house when the attack happened. A grand jury in Moscow agreed that there was enough evidence to charge Kohberger with all five felony counts. In May 2023, when Kohberger appeared in court, a judge entered a not guilty plea for him since he chose not to speak. The case, which has gotten national attention, has been moved to Boise, and the trial is set to begin this summer. If found guilty, he could potentially receive the death penalty.

DNA Evidence Newly Made Public

The discovery of the DNA was mentioned in court documents from at least August 2023, but it wasn't made public until earlier this year. Taylor claims the police didn't tell a judge about the unknown DNA samples in December 2022. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson told the court in August 2023 that these DNA samples were not put into the FBI's national DNA database, called CODIS, because they didn't meet the rules for being uploaded.

Deliberately Withheld?

The unknown male blood DNA samples police found inside and outside the King Road home raise important questions about the investigation, Taylor told the court last month. She argued this evidence is material and exculpatory — meaning it supports Kohberger's claim of innocence — and was intentionally kept from the judge before her client's arrest. However, Ada County District Judge Steven Hippler disagreed, saying the information is not necessarily exculpatory for Kohberger. He added it could suggest the possibility that other suspects were involved "if you assume that that blood was related to the victims, and not some earlier event in the house," he said, as reported by the Idaho Statesman.

The Case Against Kohberger

Police say surveillance video shows Kohberger driving past the victims' house three times before the murders. They also claim Kohberger's phone was near the house more than a dozen times before the killings. And it what many believe is the most crucial evidence in the case, police said they found a leather sheath for a fixed-blade knife in the bed of one of the victims. During processing, DNA was discovered on the sheath and later matched directly to Kohberger, police and prosecutors said. In legal filings from June 2023, his defense said the state's claim is not from blood, but rather touch DNA on the sheath located at the violent scene.

Possible Franks Hearing

Kohberger's defense team wants to challenge several search warrants and the evidence found through them in a type of court hearing called a Franks hearing. This is similar to asking a judge to reconsider the decision that there was enough reason to search. Legal experts told the Idaho Statesman that this kind of request "rarely succeeds." The prosecution disagrees with holding the hearing, and the judge has not yet made a decision on it.

Trial Slated for June

Kohberger's public defense team has said many times that he is innocent of the crimes he's accused of. Taylor repeated at last month's hearing that there are no connections between Kohberger and the victims. Despite the charges, she said, Kohberger has never been to the King Road house. Police searched Kohberger's student apartment and collected various types of evidence, including anything with blood, bodily fluids, human tissue, skin cells, and hair. Records show initial tests on a stained mattress cover and pillow taken from the apartment came back positive for blood.

The case against Bryan Kohberger is still ongoing, with many legal battles and questions about the evidence. As the trial approaches, the defense and prosecution will continue to argue over key pieces of evidence, including DNA found at the crime scene and Kohberger's connection to the victims. The public is waiting to see what happens next in this high-profile case.

References: Unidentified Blood DNA at Idaho College Student Homicides Home Could Aid Kohberger Defense | Bryan Kohberger's Defense Says Police Found 2 Unidentified DNA Samples at Crime Scene | Bryan Kohberger Trial: New Revelations in Idaho Student Murders Case as Defense Grills Lead Detective in Court