Accused Univ. of Idaho Killer Bryan Kohberger Excused From Hearing by Judge

Bryan Kohberger‘s not in court for his first hearing of 2025 … ’cause the judge decided to excuse him for Wednesday’s proceedings.

Attorneys for the alleged murderer appeared before the judge for the first time in 2025, attempting to get a large swath of DNA evidence connected to his family tossed by a judge.

The appearance is streaming live … but, the courtroom itself is closed to the public because the judge wants the ability to seal proceedings. The case has been conducted mostly in secrecy while the court tries to ensure Kohberger receives a fair trial.

To that end, the trial was moved from Moscow, Idaho to about an hour’s flight south, to Ada County — the county where Boise, Idaho is located. And, the judge has put a gag order in place to keep even the victims’ families from speaking publicly about the case.

Today’s hearing began with lawyer Wendy Olson — speaking on behalf of various media organizations — asking the judge to open the case up for more media coverage.

The judge says they will decide tomorrow which parts of the hearing will be open to the public … but, he will be closing the evidentiary portion of the hearing about key DNA evidence connected to Kohberger’s family, saying he can’t “unring the bell” once the public hears that information. He will decide after the hearing tomorrow whether to release a transcript regarding the DNA evidence.

Kohberger’s attorney says they want these hearings open to the public … but, the judge says he is worried about seating a jury not overly exposed to the media coverage. He says he has to weigh the public’s right to know, balanced against the right to a fair jury.

Prosecutors believe Kohberger snuck into the off-campus home and slaughtered the 4 victims — Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves — and left his DNA behind on the sheath of a hunting knife.

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania while visiting his family after driving cross country with his dad from Washington State University in late 2022.

The case has captured all kinds of true crime fans — sparking internet theories and inspiring online sleuths to deep dive into the case.

Kohberger hasn’t appeared in court since November 7 of last year — where he wore a coat and tie to the proceedings.