Judge halts Bryan Kohberger hearing in Moscow after defense shows social media posts
Bryan Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. Through his public defense attorneys, he has asked Judge John Judge of Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District in Latah County for a change of venue for his capital murder trial set for June 2025. TED S. WARREN AP
The judge overseeing the Bryan Kohberger case abruptly paused a hearing on the capital murder trial’s potential change of venue Thursday after an expert witness for the defense in a presentation showed content from social media in court.
Kohberger, a former Washington State University graduate student accused of killing four University of Idaho students, is scheduled for his capital murder trial in June 2025. Judge John Judge, who is overseeing the case in the 2nd Judicial District, heard arguments Thursday from both sides as to whether the trial should remain in Latah County, where the crime occurred.
Three expert witnesses were called before the lunch break, the final being defense witness Brian Edelman, co-founder of California-based jury consultancy Trial Innovations. The defense hired him to conduct a survey of the knowledge and opinions of prospective jurors in Latah County of the case.
Edelman showed Facebook posts in the courtroom during his testimony. Edelman searched “Moscow murders” on the platform and shared a screen recording of him scrolling through the results.
“You can see the extent of content that’s out there from groups that are just talking about this case and sharing information and discussing what they think happens, and videos and posts, which may include anything from influencers and podcasters to sharing traditional news stories through local newspapers or television stories,” Edelman said.
A number of Facebook groups, posts and videos appeared on screen, many of which used sensationalized language or speculated about case details.
Judge then stopped Edelman and paused the hearing, which was live-streamed to the public through YouTube.
“I don’t think we need to advertise all these, honestly,” Judge said. “We’ve been trying to protect from this kind of stuff. I’m aware of it, I don’t look at it, I don’t read it.”
Anne Taylor, Kohberger’s lead public defender, asked for a break to discuss the situation privately. About 30 minutes later, court resumed, and Judge said they would take a one-hour lunch break. Judge decided the first 15 minutes following the recess would not be streamed to the public. Victims’ family members who were watching online were granted an exception and allowed to view those first minutes through Zoom, Judge said.
“It’s kind of a compromise,” Judge said. “We thought there were certain things that maybe we don’t want to send out to the public. I don’t necessarily know what it all is, but I need to look at it and see it.”