MOSCOW, Idaho — New court filings show that prosecutors want to use a college paper written by Bryan Kohberger on crime scenes as evidence in his murder trial.
Kohberger is accused of killing Ethan Chapin from Mount Vernon, his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in a house near the University of Idaho in 2022.
At the time, he was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, which is about a 20-minute drive away.
According to the court filings, Kohberger wrote a 12-page paper called “Crime-scene Scenario Final,” which discusses a woman who was stabbed to death in a trailer park. The documents don’t specify whether it was a real case.
In documents filed last week, prosecutors said they plan to use evidence of an apparent knife purchase that they believe link Kohberger to the murders. According to investigators, a Ka-Bar sheath was found next to one of the victims that allegedly had a “statistical match” to his DNA.
According to the court filings, the paper goes on to explain how a crime scene is secured and how evidence is collected to avoid contaminating it.
Prosecutors also plan to use a selfie that they believe links Kohberger to the murders, cellphone data, his Amazon shopping history, and other evidence.
Another set of newly filed court documents shows that Kohberger’s team has tried to argue that he “has a developmental coordination disorder,” which means it was “not possible for him” to commit these crimes because he lacked the necessary “speed and coordination.” However, the documents state that is not what his neuropsychological evaluation found.
His defense team has also tried to get DNA and digital records tossed from the trial, but it wasn’t successful.
His team did, however, successfully get the trial moved from Latah County to Ada County, after raising concerns that it would be impossible to find an impartial jury to give him a fair trial.
A not guilty plea was entered for Kohberger.
His trial is expected to start in August.
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