A judge has denied Bryan Kohberger’s request to introduce evidence that four other individuals could have committed the murders of four University of Idaho students, according to a court order filed Thursday in Ada County.
District Judge Steven Hippler ruled that the proposed alternate perpetrator evidence failed to meet Idaho’s legal standards for admissibility and would be excluded from trial.
However, Kohberger’s defense team may still challenge the thoroughness of the police investigation during cross-examination.
Kohberger is charged with the November 2022 killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
The judge said the defense failed to present any direct or significant evidence connecting the four individuals to the crime, making the claims speculative and irrelevant under Idaho law.
“Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to a reasonable inference that they committed the crime,” Hippler wrote in the June 26 order. “It would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding.”
Three of the individuals identified by the defense were socially connected to one or more of the victims, had attended events with them in the hours before the murders, lived nearby, and were familiar with the layout of the house.
The fourth had a brief encounter with one victim outside a store weeks earlier and followed her for a short distance without speaking to her.
All four cooperated with law enforcement, according to the court order.
They voluntarily provided DNA and fingerprints, and none of their genetic material matched samples taken from the crime scene or victims.
They also did not drive vehicles that matched the description of the suspect’s car, a Hyundai Elantra.
Hippler noted that even if the individuals had the opportunity to commit the crime, there was no evidence of motive, means, or presence at the crime scene.
“At best,” he wrote, the theory “can give rise to only wild speculation.”
The court relied heavily on State v. Meister, a 2009 Idaho Supreme Court ruling that governs how and when defendants can introduce evidence that someone else committed the crime.
Under the Meister standard, such evidence must be relevant and supported by facts—not mere conjecture.
The judge also cited Idaho Rule of Evidence 403, which allows exclusion of relevant evidence if its value is outweighed by risks such as misleading the jury or wasting time.
He warned that unsupported accusations “invite the jury to render its findings based on emotion or prejudice” and could derail a three-month trial by shifting focus away from the case against Kohberger.
Despite the ruling, the court left open the possibility for the defense to question law enforcement officers about how thoroughly they pursued other leads.
Hippler cited a 2023 Idaho Court of Appeals decision allowing limited cross-examination about general investigative practices.
However, Kohberger’s team cannot question officers about specific alternate suspects in front of the jury without first raising the issue outside the jury’s presence and receiving approval.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
The trial is expected to begin in early September.
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