Probable cause affidavit against Idaho suspect Bryan Kohberger has lots of 'weaknesses', says law expert
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, who has been charged with the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, was arrested on December 30 at his parents' home in eastern Pennsylvania, more than 2,500 miles away from the town of Moscow. The probable cause affidavit, released on January 5, revealed some key details of the case, such as the phone data pointing out that Kohberger was in the area of the murders at least 12 times before the killings and that the suspect left behind a knife sheath at the crime scene with his DNA on it. Also, the quadruple-murder accused was ‘seen’ by one of the survivors, Dylan Mortensen. However, recently Jason LaBar, Kohberger's attorney, suggested that the affidavit contains many 'holes'. Adding to this, even law expert Lara Yeretsian warned that the probable cause affidavit showed 'weaknesses' and 'places where the defence can poke holes'.
Four University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were stabbed to death on November 13 in their off-campus rental home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger, 28, a PhD student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the neighboring Washington State University, has been arrested for the murders and is now facing four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary charges. Kohberger waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing as he appeared in court on Thursday, January 12.
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In an interview with News Nation journalist Brian Entin, Pennsylvania lawyer Jason LaBar, who represented Kohberger in his extradition trial, contended that "holes" in the police's evidence list could undermine the prosecution's case against Kohberger. LaBar said, "There's no direct evidence against Bryan. So, there are cases in the hole, where the defence will be attacking each piece of evidence individually. I believe at least that would be my trial strategy."
According to Express, even law expert Lara Yeretsian warned that the probable cause affidavit showed further "weaknesses", highlighting phone records as a potential area where the defence could put the evidence list into question. Data shows a cellphone tower, serving the area of the victims' home in Moscow, Idaho, recorded Kohberger being repeatedly near the scene of the crime before the night of the killings on November 13.
Yeretsian said, "In this case, what I've noticed is they’ve got evidence, and they’ve tried to put together the pieces of the puzzle. But each and every one of the pieces of the puzzle seem to have issues and weaknesses and places where a defence attorney can poke holes."
"What if he had a friend in the area he was going to visit? There may have been a very innocent reason for why he may have been in the area," she added. She further said, "You don’t know. For us, that’s not enough."
Kohberger's phone was picked up by a cell tower showing it had started moving south through the town of Pullman, Washington, at 2.47 am on the night of the murder before either being turned off or dropping off the network. The Idaho murder suspect was a PhD student at Washington State University, Pullman which is located 9.4 miles away from Moscow.
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