Judge delays University of Idaho murder trial, sets August start date

The long-anticipated trial against the man accused of killing four University of Idaho college students nearly two years ago was delayed on Wednesday, court officials said.

Idaho District Judge Steven Hippler originally scheduled Bryan Kohberger's capital murder trial to begin in June 2025, but will now commence on Aug. 7, 2025, and is expected to last until Nov. 7, 2025.

PHOTO: Bryan Kohberger is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (Ted S. Warren/AP,POOL, FILE)
PHOTO: Bryan Kohberger is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (Ted S. Warren/AP,POOL, FILE)

It wasn't immediately clear why the delay was set.

Kohberger, a former criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, in connection with the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students -- Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 -- in an off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 30, 2022, file photo, a small frame remembering Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves sits in the snow outside of the residence where the four students were killed on November 13, in Moscow, Idaho. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters, FILE)
PHOTO: In this Nov. 30, 2022, file photo, a small frame remembering Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves sits in the snow outside of the residence where the four students were killed on November 13, in Moscow, Idaho. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters, FILE)

Attorneys for Kohberger entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Kohberger was arrested following a six-week manhunt in December 2022. He waived his right to a speedy trial.

Last month, Idaho's Supreme Court ruled that the trial would be moved from Latah County to Boise following a request for a change of venue from the defense.

A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 7, for an argument on motions challenging the death penalty, according to court documents.

Judge delays University of Idaho murder trial, sets August start date originally appeared on abcnews.go.com