Judge rules that cameras be banned from courtroom in Bryan Kohberger trial

MOSCOW, Idaho — A judge has ruled that no cameras operated by the media or the public will be allowed in the courtroom during the trial of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death at a rental house near the school’s campus in Moscow.

The victims -- Madison Mogen, Kaylee Gonclaves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin -- were killed on Nov. 13, 2022.

Kohberger, a PhD student at nearby Washington State University in Pullman, was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022, at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania.

On Aug. 24 of this year, Kohberger’s attorneys filed a motion that both still and video cameras be banned from the courtroom, arguing that cameras should at least be banned during any hearings, including the trial, where vulnerable witnesses and victims are called to testify.

While a group of media outlets that included the Associated Press filed an opposition to the motion, arguing that media coverage would be the only way that many community members would be able to see and hear the proceedings, a judge in an Idaho district court in Latah County decided that the Associated Press did not have a right to challenge Kohberger’s motion.

“Media and the public are not allowed to video, photograph, audio record, or otherwise transmit during the proceedings,” court documents dated Nov. 17 said.

However, the future public hearings in the case will be video recorded and live-streamed on the court’s YouTube channel.

“This will help to alleviate the concerns raised by both the defense and the State, but at the same time will ensure the public still has access to see the proceedings for themselves if they cannot attend hearings in-person,” court documents said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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