Bryan Kohberger shows 'no emotion' as he is denied bail in first Idaho court appearance
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Accused Idaho murderer Bryan Kohberger was denied bail in his first appearance in the Idaho court on January 5, Thursday. From the first row of the gallery in the court, the victim’s family members stared at the suspect. He appeared at the court in Idaho after his extradition hearing from the Pennsylvania court on January 3.
Kohberger entered the courtroom in an orange jumpsuit at around 9.42 am. The front row was occupied by Goncalves parents Steve and Kristie and her brother. The suspect's rights were read by a Magistrate Court judge Megan Marshall and charges against him were outlined and asked by the judge whether he understood the outlining. Clenching his jaw, Kohberger responded "Yes" with a straight face. The 28-year-old was assigned an attorney officially, public defender Anne Taylor, according to the New York Post.
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Kohberger who is accused of brutally killing four University of Idaho students is expected to plead not guilty. He was reportedly not requested to submit a plea for the four charges of first-degree murder and one charge of burglary.
“It’s obviously an emotional time for the family seeing the defendant for the first time. This is the beginning of the criminal justice system and the family will be here for the long haul,” said Shannon Gray, an attorney for the Goncalves family, reports the WGN.
When the judge read out the accused killer's first-degree charge of killing their daughter, Goncalve's family began to wipe away tears while the suspect kept a deadpan face throughout. According to the New York Post, Kohberger was seen as emotionless, without looking at anyone during the 13-minute appearance. The legal court documents printed for the accused were read over by him.
Judge Marshall remanded Kohberger back to Latah County Jail after his bail was denied. His legal team did not succeed in securing his bail. The prosecution argued that Kohberger was a flight risk as he was taken into custody 2,500 miles away from the horrifying crime scene. The accused was also ordered not to contact the Idaho victim's family members or some of their friends, for the next two years reports the New York Post.
After the extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, the alleged killer's probable cause affidavit was allowed to be released. Wearing a red jail-issue jumpsuit and handcuffed, he then landed at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport in Washington state at around 6:30 pm local time on January 4.
Three law enforcement officers and a police motorcade escorted Kohberger off the plane. A silver truck from the Latah County Sheriff's Office was reportedly believed to be the vehicle carrying him to the Latah County Jail.
Following the November 13 brutal killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, at their off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, the 28-year-old was arrested from his parent's home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. He was pursuing a PhD in criminology at Washington University, Pullman which is around nine miles (15 km) west of Moscow, Idaho, where the slain students resided.