Idaho student murder suspect tries out new defense

Bryan Kohberger, the man who has been charged in relation to the killing of four Idaho college students, is trying out a new legal defense. 

The defense, according to Fox News, is that evidence found at the crime scene points to other suspects besides himself.

The big question, though, is whether the evidence that Kohberger and his legal team are referring to is trustworthy.

Some experts believe that Kohberger himself staged it.

Background

As the New York Post reports, the 30-year-old Kohberger stands "accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle at their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022."

This date is correct. The murder happened over two years ago. Since then, Kohberger's prosecution has been slowly playing out in the courtroom, with Kohberger's defense team trying every trick in the book.

At the time of this writing, it is expected that Kohberger's trial will not take place for several more months - until August 2025.

As for what has been going on, the answer is various legal maneuvers, by both sides, to put themselves in the best possible position for trial. Kohberger's team has also tried to get the case dismissed for various reasons.

If everything stays on schedule, though, then the case will take place in August, and, now, Kohberger and his team have a new defense.

The latest theory

Kohberger's new defense is that someone else could be responsible for the murders.

The Post explains:

But his attorneys have claimed police found blood at the crime scene from two still-unidentified males . . . One unknown individual’s blood DNA was discovered on a handrail inside the home, which was demolished in December 2023, Kohberger’s lead defense attorney told the court last month.Kohberger’s lawyers claim another man’s DNA was found outside the home on a glove.

Prosecutors, at the time of this writing, have not disputed this evidence claim. Many, though, are raising questions about it. John Kelly, a veteran criminal profiler, told Fox:

When he was arrested, he quickly said, ‘Who else did you arrest?’ Not the normal response for someone being arrested for [allegedly] brutally killing four kids with a knife. Maybe this is the reason why he made that stupid response: he staged some other DNA, blood, to throw authorities off. Remember, from his studies, he would know about staging.

Kohberger, at the time of his arrest, was studying for a Ph. D. in criminology and criminal justice.

It is also worth remembering that police did find DNA belonging to Kohberger on a leather knife sheath found in one of the victim's beds. This is still a major problem for Kohberger's defense, regardless of his new defense theory.