MOSCOW, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger’s defense planned to argue at trial that three other people in the victims’ social circle were responsible for the quadruple murders, not Kohberger himself.
This was before Kohberger changed his plea to guilty on July 2, shutting down the possibility for a trial.
In case records, a seven-page document was filed with the Idaho courts titled “REDACTED Order on Defendants [sic] Offer of Proof RE Alternate Perpetrators.”
In that document, Kohberger’s defense said there were three people who could have killed Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen that night in November 2022.
The defense claimed that these three unnamed individuals could have killed the college students because they knew the victims and had been in their home so they knew the layout. The claim also said that these three lived within walking distance of the home.
Under Idaho law, a defendant trying to claim an “alternative perpetrator” needs to present “proof of connection with the crime, such train offacts or circumstances, as tend clearly to point out someone besides the accused as the guilty party. Remote acts, disconnected and outside of the crime itself, cannot be separately proved for such purpose.”
A judge said that the evidence Kohberger was claiming was “entirely irrelevant” and “speculation,” according to the filing.
Ada County District Court Judge Steven Hippler wrote:
“Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to reasonable inference that they committed the crime; indeed, it would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding. Three of the individuals were each socially connected to one or more of the victims, interacted with one or more of the victims at social events in the hours prior to the homicide, lived within walking distance of the crime scene and were familiar with the layout of the victims’ home from prior social events. While perhaps this evidence could suggest an opportunity to commit the-crime-which, no doubt, is an opportunity shared by dozens of others in the victims’ social circles there is no compelling evidence that any of them had motive to kill the victims-much less physically harm them-or means to do so. Further, there is no evidence connecting them to the crime scene.”
Other than the DNA evidence belonging to Kohberger at the scene, the judge said none of the three individuals drove the white Hyundai Elantra that was seen by the home around the time of the murders. Kohberger drove such a car.
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