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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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The intense media scrutiny around Bryan Kohberger's trial in Idaho could impact whether the alleged killer receives a fair trial, a leading criminal defense attorney has told Newsweek.
Bryan Kohberger, a criminology student and teaching assistant accused of the murders of four University of Idaho students, has attracted significant media attention since his arrest on December 30.
The 28-year-old waived any extradition rights following his detention by law enforcement officials at his family home in Pennsylvania, before being flown to a regional airport near Moscow, Idaho.
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His attorney during the extradition case, Jason LaBar, said Kohberger was "eager to be exonerated" and was "looking forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible."
The bodies of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were discovered in rented accommodation in the small Idaho city on November 13.
After arriving back in the state, Kohberger was booked at Latah County Jail on four counts of first-degree murder and one of felony burglary. Media representatives gathered outside Latah County Jail as he was taken directly into the facility.
The media appetite surrounding the case is "undoubtedly" being considered by both the prosecution and defense teams, Duncan Levin, managing partner at Levin & Associates, told Newsweek.
"In this case, this is a very small county in Idaho, and there are no courts anywhere in the world that routinely handle cases like this," he said.
The community in Moscow "has been put really on edge by seemingly random murders," he argued, adding "there might be some prejudice that would come against him for having the case heard there."
But the Kohberger case is one "where pretrial publicity really could make it difficult for him to get a fair trial," Levin suggested.
"It's international," he added, commenting that this has become a case "everyone knows about."
But Kohberger's defense team may opt to push for what is known as a change of venue motion precisely because of the media attention concentrated on the small city.
It's "likely to be one of the very first things that the defense will consider asking the court, to try to move it to a place [where] he'll get a more fair trial," Levin explained.
But it is not likely to succeed as a strategy, according to the former federal prosecutor, because it may not be possible to find another location "that would offer him a jury pool that has not heard of the case."
This means the defense team is facing an "uphill battle" that they are "exceedingly unlikely" to win, Levin argued.
Kohberger will make a second appearance in court in Idaho on Thursday, after an initial appearance on January 5. His preliminary status hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. local time.
Kohberger has not yet entered a plea in Idaho. His defense attorney, Anne Taylor, has been contacted for comment.
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