Or, Newton added, it could simply be that the defendant is being difficult and not wanting to cooperate.īremner echoed that possibility, saying, “Maybe he’s just trying to be defiant or attempting to show he’s the smartest guy in the courtroom.” She pointed to Kohberger’s background as a criminology student, noting, “He knew enough about criminal studies that it would have an impact.”īryan Kohberger listens during his arraignment in Latah County District Court on May 22, 2023. Prosecutors and defense attorneys may also be negotiating behind the scenes, potentially discussing a plea agreement, Newton said.īremner dismissed the idea that the move could indicate Kohberger’s attorney may be considering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity because there is no insanity defense in Idaho. A not guilty plea, for example, may spark public outrage that they are not taking responsibility for their alleged actions, he explained. The defendant may want to avoid criticism that could come with a certain plea, Newton said.

There are a number of reasons defendants may choose to “stand silent,” especially in such a high-profile and highly scrutinized case as Kohberger’s, according to University of Idaho law professor Samuel Newton. After nearly seven weeks, Kohberger was arrested and identified as the alleged killer. The gruesome killings and prolonged investigation blanketed the college campus and surrounding city in uncertainty and apprehension. Though a sweeping gag order has largely shrouded details of the case from the public, investigators have said Kohberger, a graduate student in the Department of Criminology at nearby Washington State University, broke into the victims’ home and stabbed them repeatedly before fleeing the scene.īryan Kohberger is escorted out of the courtroom following his arraignment.

The tactic was also used in the case against Nikolas Cruz, the gunman responsible for the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.Īs the October trial looms, Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the November 13 killings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21 Madison Mogen, 21 Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, 20, in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Though highly unusual, standing silent is not unheard of. “Either way, he’s on the record with a not guilty plea.” “It doesn’t matter what he says or doesn’t say,” Seattle attorney Anne Bremner told CNN. Judge enters not guilty pleas on behalf of Bryan Kohberger, charged in Idaho student murders Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.

K of kafkas the trial