The judge overseeing the Idaho Four murder trial has announced the prohibition of two specific words during the proceedings of Bryan Kohberger’s trial.
Numerous developments have occurred in the Kohberger case since his arrest three years ago.
Kohberger is accused of murdering four University of Idaho students on the morning of November 13, 2022.
The victims were Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21.
They were all discovered dead in their shared King Road apartment in Moscow, Idaho, on the same day.
The Latah County Coroner, Cathy Mabbutt, later confirmed that all four students were killed by stabbing, describing the attack as a ‘butchering’ by an unknown attacker.
Six weeks later, authorities apprehended Kohberger after tracing his phone location to the crime area multiple times and discovering a knife sheath, linked to his father, at the crime scene.
Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder, but he has pleaded not guilty and has provided an alibi for the time of the murders.
Authorities estimate the time of death to be between 3am and 4am, leaving behind a crime scene described as the ‘worst they’ve ever seen’.
Since these events, there have been significant discussions on how the trial should proceed.
Kohberger’s defense attorneys requested that certain terms used by the surviving roommates to describe the assailant in the Idaho home be excluded from the courtroom.
Kohberger, a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, is expected to attend his trial starting August 11, following jury selection on July 30.
During a hearing on Wednesday, April 9, Judge Steven Hippler granted the defense’s motion to exclude certain words from the courtroom, ensuring adherence to court decorum.
He clarified that the terms ‘psychopath’ and ‘sociopath’ are to be omitted when referring to Kohberger, as he has not been diagnosed with either condition.
However, the judge denied the defense’s request to exclude graphic crime scene photographs, noting that prosecutors might still use the term ‘murderer’ during closing arguments.
“Make no mistake, these murders, whoever did them, were … horrific. And I expect that the evidence will reflect that,” Hippler said as reported by the Daily Mail. “When it comes to cumulative evidence or some that are unnecessarily graphic, I think we will address that on a case-by-case basis.”
In another motion, Kohberger’s defense lawyer, Anne Taylor, argued that the death penalty should be removed as a potential punishment if a guilty verdict is reached.
This argument is partly based on Kohberger’s autism diagnosis, which she intends to present as a ‘mitigating factor’ during sentencing.
The defense claims this evidence will help jurors understand that some of Kohberger’s behaviors, such as his mannerisms and talkative nature, are linked to autism.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social communication, black and white thinking, sensory processing, and other aspects of a person’s life.