BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge in Idaho has ruled that key evidence can be used against Bryan Kohberger, who is charged with the murder of four University of Idaho students. The judge found that the method used to identify him, called Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), is constitutional.
Judge Steven Hippler made his decision after hearing arguments from Kohberger’s defense team, which claimed that law enforcement violated his rights. They argued that police should have obtained warrants before using genetic methods to identify suspects. However, the judge disagreed, stating that Kohberger did not have a legitimate claim to privacy regarding the DNA evidence.
Nearly a month after a two-day hearing, this ruling is a significant win for the prosecution as they prepare for the trial, which is set to begin in August.
Kohberger is accused of murdering Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. When he was asked to plead in court last year, he remained silent, leading the judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf. If convicted, prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.
The IGG method is useful when standard DNA tests don’t produce results. In such cases, investigators analyze specific DNA variations and compare them against genealogy databases like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA to find relatives. In Kohberger’s case, the FBI used IGG on “touch DNA” found on a knife sheath discovered at the crime scene. This DNA helped link him to the murders.
Defense attorney Anne Taylor argued that police should have obtained warrants for both the DNA analysis and the data from genealogy databases. However, the judge stated that for the defense to suppress evidence based on a lack of warrants, they needed to prove Kohberger had a reasonable expectation of privacy over the DNA found at the crime scene. The judge concluded that since Kohberger did not claim ownership of the knife sheath, he could not assert any privacy rights over the DNA traces left on it.
The judge also rejected several other defense motions that sought to challenge how warrants were issued and to exclude evidence like cellphone data.
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Source linkSteven Hippler, Bryan Kohberger, Homicide, Crime, Idaho, Legal proceedings, General news, WA State Wire, ID State Wire, U.S. news, Anne Taylor, Law enforcement, Ethan Chapin, Lawsuits, Kaylee Goncalves, Constitutions
