MOSCOW, Idaho (Court TV) – A judge entered not guilty pleas to five charges against accused quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger during his arraignment Monday.
Kohberger, who is accused in the Nov. 2022 deaths of four University of Idaho students, chose to stand silent through his attorney when asked how he pleads to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (Zach Wilkinson/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP, Pool)
WATCH: Bryan Kohberger Arraignment: What is Standing Silent?
Since Kohberger chose to stand silent, Judge John Judge entered the not guilty pleas on his behalf and scheduled a six-week trial for Oct. 2, 2023.
Kohberger only spoke to answer “yes” at his arraignment when the judge asked if he understood his rights and the charges against him. He answered “no” when asked if he had any questions for the court.
The judge said prosecutors have 60 days to file any intent to seek the death penalty against Kohberger.
A Moscow grand jury indicted Kohberger last week in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, whose bodies were found in an off-campus rental home.
He was arrested at his parents’ Pennsylvania home on Dec. 30 and extradited to Idaho soon after.
Kohberger’s case is being safeguarded by a gag order, which prohibits any attorneys, law enforcement agencies or others involved with the case from talking to the media, unless they are quoting from a publicly available court document. Court TV’s parent company has joined a coalition of other media in filling an appeal of the order.
On Monday, the judge scheduled another hearing for June 9 to hear arguments on the gag order. A motions hearing was scheduled for June 27.
After Kohberger’s arraignment, the family of Kaylee Goncalves released the following statement through their attorney, Shanon Gray:
“The family would like to thank everyone for continuing to follow this case and keep the memories of Kaylee, Maddie, Xana and Ethan alive. They are what is important not the Defendant. We are thankful that the Latah County District Attorneys Office finally took the case to a (grand jury) and came back with an indictment. At the same time we are disappointed that the judicial process has not been more efficient in addressing the Gag order. This is just the beginning of a long journey for all the families and we are thankful for your continued support and coverage”
