LATAH COUNTY, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger wants cameras removed from the courtroom for all future appearances.
Kohberger is charged with killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022 and waived his right to a speedy trial earlier this week, vacating an October trial date.
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In new court documents, Kohberger's attorney, Anne Taylor, argued the pictures and video being captured in the courtroom will hurt her client's ability to receive a fair trial with an unbiased jury.
Taylor included close-up photos of the defendant in the documents in which she argued photographers violated the court's order to capture wide shots of the entire courtroom rather than closeups of Kohberger.
"The images and videos provided above were taken during pre-trial court proceedings, but pose no less danger," Taylor wrote. "To the contrary, they gradually poison the potential jury pool prior to trial even occurring, winnowing the number of jurors able to render a just, unbiased verdict."
Taylor requested the judge expel cameras from the courtroom for the duration of Kohberger's case, including pretrial hearings, and the trial itself.
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State wants more time to reply to Motion to Dismiss
Meanwhile, the state has requested an extension to reply to the defense's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment, hoping to postpone a hearing to discuss the matter currently set for September 1.
The motion was filed under seal, but the new documents explain the motion along with a Memo in Support were comprised of "approximately 109 pages, 49 pages of which was made up of the Defendant's arguments and the balance made up of various exhibits which include affidavits and other materials."
Prosecutors argue the documents contain "detailed factual and evidentiary issues that will require not only review and submission of the entire grand jury transcript (so that the court is able to assess the Defendant's claims in context) as well as what appears to be complex scientific representations and disputes."
Their response is currently required by August 30, with a hearing set for September 1. In the new documents, the state asks for an extension to September 14 for a response and a September 22 hearing.
Kohberger is currently facing the death penalty for the four first-degree murder charges.
