Judge denies Bryan Kohberger’s motion to dismiss indictment, decides to continue allowing cameras in court

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The judge overseeing the case of Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, made two decisions Thursday in the case, and one of them came as a surprise.

The unexpected decision from Judge John Judge was that he’d continue to allow cameras in the courtroom, although he said he’ll “take more control” of them going forward, according to NewsNation’s Brian Entin.

Kohberger’s attorneys had argued against having cameras in the courtroom, saying that they deprive Kohberger of his right to due process under the 14th Amendment, the Idaho Statesman reports.

Prosecutors had also expressed reservations about cameras, saying they could have a “chilling effect” on witnesses. However, they also noted the cameras help journalists convey the judicial process to the public.

The second decision the Idaho judge made Thursday was to deny a motion from Kohberger’s attorney to dismiss the grand jury indictment against him. Kohberger’s attorneys had argued the grand jury was misled about the standard of proof required to indict him, Entin reported.

Kohberger, a criminology PhD student, is facing murder charges in the fatal stabbings last November of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. The killings happened in the small college town of Moscow, Idaho.

Investigators linked Kohberger to the killings via DNA evidence and an extensive search for his white Hyundai Elantra.