Bryan Kohberger trial postponed after waiving speedy trial right in Idaho student murders case.
The Trial for Bryan Kohberger Delayed as Defendant Waives Right to Speedy Trial
The trial for Bryan Kohberger, the defendant in the quadruple murder of four University of Idaho students, has been delayed after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
Kohberger, 28, a criminology graduate student from Washington State University, waived his right to a speedy trial at a court hearing on Wednesday. Judge John Judge, who is overseeing the trial, gave the murder suspect until Sept. 15 to make a decision during an all-day hearing on Aug. 18.
Under Idaho law, if criminal defendants do not waive their rights, then they must receive a trial date within six months of their arraignment.
Kohberger, who was arraigned on May 22, had a trial scheduled for Oct. 2 at 8:30 a.m. PDT. Now, having waived that right, the trial start date is indefinitely postponed.
The judge entered a not-guilty plea for Kohberger, after the defendant exercised his Fifth Amendment right to “stand silent,” on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
Kohberger is charged in the murders of University of Idaho seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21; and junior Xana Kernodle and freshman Ethan Chapin, both 20.
Prosecutors announced at the end of June that they will seek the death penalty for Kohberger. Several pieces of evidence led investigators to charge Kohberger with murder, including DNA evidence found on a knife sheath that matched Kohberger’s.
Gonclaves’s parents posted on the family’s Facebook page on Wednesday morning prior to the hearing, expressing concern at how long it would take to begin a trial.
“We are afraid he is going to waive his rights to a speedy trial,” the post read. “If he does, trial will not be starting on Oct. 2 and it is very likely that it won’t take place for years. We want to get this trial over. Just thinking it could be years absolutely kills me.”
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