MOSCOW, Idaho (Court TV) – The defense for quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger wants cameras banned from the courtroom ahead of a scheduled motions hearing.
In a motion filed June 6 and obtained by Court TV, Kohberger’s attorneys asks the court to limit media coverage to protect Sixth Amendment interests.
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)
The motion notes media coverage of Kohberger’s demeanor during court appearances, and cites the banning of cameras in the Lori Vallow Daybell case.
Kohberger’s defense also raises the issue of distracting courtroom participants who “may behave differently” once “they know they’re being recorded.”
In response to the defense’s motion, prosecutors stated, “In the State’s view, the decision of whether to allow video or photographic coverage of the proceedings in this case is left to the sound discretion of the Court.” Prosecutors also expressed concern over camera access, citing “sensitive witnesses” and jurors accessing footage outside of proceedings.
Kohberger is scheduled to be back in court Friday, June 9 for a motions hearing. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the Nov. 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.
The bodies of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were discovered in an off-campus rental home. Kohberger was arrested Dec. 30 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. A six-week trial is scheduled for Oct. 2, 2023.
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.
