Introduction to the Case
A judge says a former roommate of four University of Idaho students who were killed in 2022 can testify about seeing an intruder with “bushy eyebrows” around the time of the crime.
Defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger had asked 4th District Judge Steven Hippler during a hearing earlier this month to bar any evidence referencing “bushy eyebrows," because they say the roommate’s description is unreliable and irrelevant to the case.
The Ruling
But in a ruling released Friday, Hippler said the testimony can be used during Kohberger’s trial on four murder charges set to begin later this year.
Kohberger, 30, is charged with murder in the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho.
Background on the Case
Kohberger, then a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks after the deaths. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene.
When asked to enter a plea to the charges, Kohberger stood silent, prompting the judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The Roommate’s Testimony
The roommate told police she saw someone wearing black clothing and a ski mask inside the home she shared with four roommates sometime before 4:19 a.m. on the day of the killings, according to court documents.
She was intoxicated at the time, and told police she couldn’t remember any other facial characteristics but that the intruder’s bushy eyebrows stood out in her memory.
Defense Attorneys’ Argument
Kohberger’s defense attorneys noted that the roommate also constantly questioned what she saw, that her attention was influenced by sleepiness and alcohol, and that her opportunity to see the intruder was seconds at most.
Allowing her to testify about bushy eyebrows when she couldn’t provide enough details to allow a police artist to do a composite sketch would be unfair and prejudicial, causing a jury to believe Kohberger is guilty because of his eyebrows, his attorneys said.
The Judge’s Decision
But the judge disagreed.
“There is a large gulf between a finding that a witness is not competent to testify about what they personally witnessed, and simply allowing impeachment by vigorous cross-examination,” Hippler wrote. “This is a matter for cross-examination.”
Mental Health Evidence
Hippler also said that if Kohberger is convicted, his defense team can’t use his medical diagnoses to explain his “courtroom demeanor” unless Kohberger takes the stand during the penalty phase.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to bar any testimony during the penalty phase about Kohberger’s autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as the developmental coordination disorder that Kohberger may have experienced in childhood.
Conclusion
The judge’s ruling allows the roommate’s testimony about the intruder’s bushy eyebrows to be used in the trial, while also limiting the use of Kohberger’s medical diagnoses to explain his courtroom demeanor. The trial is set to begin later this year, and the judge’s decisions will likely play a significant role in the outcome of the case.
FAQs
Q: Who is Bryan Kohberger?
A: Bryan Kohberger is the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Q: What is the significance of the roommate’s testimony?
A: The roommate’s testimony about seeing an intruder with bushy eyebrows around the time of the crime could be used as evidence in the trial.
Q: Can Kohberger’s medical diagnoses be used in the trial?
A: Only if Kohberger takes the stand during the penalty phase, and the judge allows it.
Q: What is the current status of the case?
A: The trial is set to begin later this year, and the judge has made several rulings on the admissibility of evidence.
