We appreciated Dateline‘s special about Bryan Kohberger and the University of Idaho murders. It offered a lot of shocking details we hadn’t heard about the case. But “The Terrible Night on King Road” may have had a terrible effect on the actual case!
After the episode aired, Judge Steven Hippler ordered both the defense and prosecution to give him a full list of everyone with access to all the evidence in the case. Why? Because some of what was on that special was previously unreported — and could only have been leaked by people involved in the trial!
The whole thing is a big no-no. But what could it hurt? Well… it could make it even harder to try this whole case! The judge warned that stories about the crimes could make it more difficult to find an impartial jury. And now the defense is making the most of this opening…
Kohberger’s team filed a motion Tuesday to delay the trial, per CourtTV! Again! They’re arguing with the leaks, it’ll be too hard to get ready in time:
“The (Dateline) show repeatedly emphasizes the nonpublic nature of this information, stating it was obtained from unnamed sources who are close to the investigation. Moving forward with a capital trial in August will infringe upon Mr. Kohberger’s constitutional rights, as counsel requires more time to review discovery, complete investigations, and prepare for trial.”
They also pointed to the imminent publication of a book about the case — which is set to release in July, a full month before the trial. The filing argued the true crime book was evidence Dateline wasn’t the only leak! So a full investigation was needed:
“A continuance is necessary to fully investigate the leaks and to mitigate the prejudicial effects of such inflammatory pretrial publicity occurring so close to the current trial date.”
Well… the possibility this trial could get delayed again isn’t sitting well with the loved ones of the victims!
Related: Bryan Kohberger Was Framed By The REAL Killer, Claims Defense!
Angela Navejas knew victim Maddie Mogen very well indeed. Her daughter was a good friend of the 21-year-old — and not just that, she actually used to be a roommate in the house, too! Damn, that’s really close to the case… And Angela is upset about the defense’s possible delay, complaining to DailyMail.com:
“If they’re going to talk about a fair trial, what about the victims’ families, and what about the victims involved?”
She isn’t wrong. But it isn’t just about impatience to get justice. There are real problems involved in delaying over and over. Angela explained:
“People lose memory, things happen in two years… So I think if anybody is going to say, ‘Oh, well, he needs to have a fair trial,’ what about the victims having a fair trial? It’ll be almost three years when they start the trial. And nobody talks about that… what about the other side?”
It’s a fair point. It’s already taken quite a long time to get started — the trial is scheduled to begin in August, over two and a half years after Kohberger’s arrest for the November 2022 killings.
Angela also observed with how long this trial has taken, it’s no wonder details are “going to start coming out.” Another really good point!
The family of Maddie’s bestie Kaylee Goncalves, who was killed right next to her as the two were sharing a bed, was one of the most vocal early on. But they’ve been patient since. If only their patience were being rewarded. No such luck. And the family hinted at it with a pointed Facebook post this week amid the news. They wrote:
“One step forward, two steps back. Are we ever going to get there???”
They didn’t say what it was about, but it’s not too tough to figure.
[Image via Law&Crime Network/YouTube/Maddie Mogen/Instagram.]
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