Accused killer Bryan Kohberger wants to wear casual clothes in court instead of his orange prison jumpsuit.
Kohberger’s attorney, Anne Taylor, filed a motion in Ada County courthouse in Idaho on Monday, arguing that the orange jumpsuit would make Kohberger look guilty in front of jurors. Kohberger is in jail awaiting trial for allegedly killing four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022.
Kohberger, 29, is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He is accused of fatally stabbing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at their Moscow, Idaho, home. He remained silent in court when asked which way he pleaded and a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, listens during his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court on May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger has requested that he not have to wear an orange prison uniform now that his trial venue has changed.
Zach Wilkinson/Getty Images
It is common for lawyers to request that their incarcerated clients be allowed to wear street clothes in court and to hide any evidence of prison, such as handcuffs or legcuffs.
Kohberger had been allowed to wear a suit and tie during recent hearings in Latah County and his lawyer wants that to continue now that Kohberger’s trial has been transferred to Ada County. He was moved to Ada County sheriff’s custody after the state Supreme Court ruled that his trial will be moved to Ada County. He will be held at Ada County Jail in Boise.
The trial was originally set to take place in Latah County, where the alleged crimes took place, but Kohberger’s legal team filed a motion for a change of venue, claiming that extensive media coverage of the case had affected potential jurors. The motion was granted by Judge John Judge on September 9.
Judge criticized “the ongoing spread of prejudicial misinformation, rumors, and patently false theories of the case on social media outlets such as Facebook, podcasts, and blogs.”
In his written ruling, he noted that Latah County was a small county where news traveled quickly.
“While the issue of extensive, sensationalized coverage is not unique to Latah County, it is potentially more impactful given the volume of coverage coupled with the smaller population,” he wrote.
“Considering the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the news coverage in this case, and the smaller population in Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of demonstrating ‘a reasonable likelihood’ that prejudicial news coverage will compromise a fair trial in Latah County,” Judge wrote. “Thus, the court will grant Kohberger’s motion to change venue for presumed prejudice.”
He also stated that it would be “inconvenient” and “present serious safety risks” to hold the trial in Latah County: “The interest of justice requires that the trial be moved to a venue with the resources, both in terms of personnel and space, necessary to effectively and efficiently handle a trial of this magnitude and length so that parties and the Court can focus on the case and not on peripheral issues.”
The trial is set to start on June 2, 2025.
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