MOSCOW, Idaho — As Moscow, Idaho, was surrounded with the echoes of thunder, the pattering of rain and the illumination of lightning on Sunday night, the town was also encompassed by another dark cloud -- the arraignment of Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with stabbing and killing four University of Idaho students in November of 2022.
Kohberger, 28, is expected in court Monday morning where he will be arraigned after a grand jury indicted him on four counts of first-degree murder for the stabbings of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, and one count of felony burglary that alleges Kohberger broke into the 1122 King Road home with intent to commit murder.
The house on King Road, known as "King Street" by the students there, used to have Goncalves' Jeep parked in front, among other vehicles that sat on the gravel outside the home with a wreath on the front door. Now, the parking lot is empty with the exception of a blue security trailer and a few "no trespassing signs" posted on a silver fence. The windows, which once were propped open enough for small visibility by onlookers, are now boarded up with large squares of plywood.
The murders cast a shadow over the tight-knit college town, home of the Idaho Vandals. When it happened on Nov. 13, 2022, no suspect was on police's radar -- until a white Hyundai Elantra - which was seen in the area on the night of the murders - caught an officer's eye parked at the nearby college campus of Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Washington. That car was traced to Kohberger, a WSU criminology graduate student, who had made his way to his home state of Pennsylvania in the very same car. It was there that Pennsylvania State Police broke in the door of his family home with a warrant for his arrest on Dec. 30, 2022.
Kohberger was supposed to have a probable cause hearing on June 26, where a judge would decide if there was enough evidence to move forward with the case, but that was canceled because of the grand jury indictment. An indictment by a grand jury is somewhat similar to a probable cause hearing -- a group in Latah County, shielded from the public eye, heard witnesses and evidence against Kohberger and decided there was enough probable cause to move the case out of magistrate court and into district court. However, the grand jury witness list is sealed, so it's unclear who testified.
At 9 a.m. PDT Monday morning, Kohberger will appear in the Latah County Courthouse in front of District Court Judge John C. Judge to plead guilty, ensuing sentencing, or plead not guilty -- meaning the murder case will go to trial. If he asks for a continuance of his plea to consult further with his attorney Anne Taylor, his plea will be entered likely one or two weeks after his arraignment.
Kohberger could also stand silent and a judge would enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
What will he plead? Former Ada County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jean Fisher says that it is highly unlikely he will plead guilty.
“I don't think that taking this case to the grand jury would have come to any big surprise to anybody in the defense world, especially in the case of this nature with this with this sort of attention. That certainly shouldn't have caught them by surprise. Whether or not it affects their ability to enter a plea or not, like I said, the chances of him pleading guilty at this stage in the proceedings to me is zero," Fisher said. "If anything, maybe they would have liked to have an opportunity to question and cross examine and fish a little bit at the preliminary hearing, but they shouldn't have been surprised by this at all."
Kohberger's defense said in a motion previously filed in court in May that they believe there is "exculpatory evidence," or evidence that proves the defendant is not guilty, related to his car, his parents' home and other notes and reports the prosecution has -- as well as the testimony of one of the two surviving roommates, who was unharmed the night of the attack.
When Kohberger enters his plea, prosecutors will have six months to take him to trial, according to Idaho law -- unless he decides to waive his right to a speedy trial, meaning that his trial date will be postponed past six months. The law also allows for exceeding the six-month window if "good cause" can be shown.
If he does enter a plea Monday, prosecutors have 60 days to file their intent to seek the death penalty against Kohberger, as first-degree murder in Idaho is punishable by life imprisonment or death.
Kohberger's arraignment will not be live-streamed, but video will be available after court is adjourned.
Courts and investigative reporters Morgan Romero and Alexandra Duggan will be in the Latah County Courthouse Monday morning bringing updates on air and online.
Watch more coverage of this story
Ongoing coverage of the University of Idaho investigation can be found in our YouTube playlist: