Bryan Kohberger to appear in court as prosecutors seek death penalty for Idaho murders suspect – live

Bryan Kohberger’s father called the police on his son nine years before he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students in a shocking knife attack that has horrified America.

Court records, newly obtained by ABC News, reveal that Mr Kohberger was arrested and charged with stealing one of his sister Melissa’s cellphones back in 2014.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21, were seniors at the University of Idaho and were expected to graduate this year.

At a vigil weeks after the murders, Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves told how the two “absolutely beautiful” young women first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.

“They just found each other and every day they did homework together, they came to our house together, they shared everything,” he said at the time. “Then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually get into the same apartment together.

“And in the end, they died together, in the same room, in the same bed.”

Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were juniors at the college and had begun dating months before their deaths. They were both 20.

Six months after the stabbings, the families of the slain students accepted posthumous awards for their achievements.

Mogen and Goncalves’ relatives walked across the stage for their degrees in an emotional ceremony on 13 May. Kernodle’s family also accepted her certificate in marketing at a separate ceremony while Chapin’s award in sports, recreation and management was mailed to his parents.

“My sister, Xana Kernodle was born on July 5th, 2002 making this year her 21st birthday. We hope to celebrate #xanapalooza this year and every year by being silly, having fun, getting out of our comfort zones, and loving life like she did each day,” her sister Jazzmin wrote on Facebook.

“She had the most love for living each day to the fullest, creating memories, gaining new experiences, being silly, and of course all those who surrounded her. Help us celebrate #xanapalooza and honor Xana for her 21st birthday on July 5th by doing something fun, new and spontaneous!”

In court on Tuesday, Judge John Judge will hear arguments on the defence’s request for a stay of proceedings.

Bryan Kohberger’s defence filed the motion for a stay earlier this month, arguing that the case should be put on hold until the matter of the grand jury record is resolved in court.

Mr Kohberger is seeking the complete record of the grand jury proceedings from prosecutors, arguing it is crucial to him fighting the indictment against him.

A stay of proceedings is where a court stops or suspends case proceedings or a trial either temporarily or indefinitely.

Prosecutors in Idaho announced on Monday that they are seeking the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old criminal justice graduate accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in a brutal knife attack that shocked America.

Reacting to the news, Kaylee Goncalve’s father Steve Goncalves said he was relieved.

“I’m glad that we’re in a situation of strength and the evidence is there and we feel that we can, they can go forward with this,” Mr Goncalves told NBC News.

An Idaho judge has denied a request from roughly two dozen news organizations to lift a gag order in the criminal case of a man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death. The judge did, however, significantly narrow the gag order in response to the news organizations’ concerns.

The ruling was handed down late Friday afternoon.

In it, 2nd District Judge John Judge said it was legally prudent to restrict attorneys from making some statements about the case in order to preserve Bryan Kohberger‘s right to a fair trial. Still, Judge also said the original gag order — which also barred law enforcement officers and other people tangentially related to the case from speaking to the press — was “arguably overbroad and vague in some areas.

Kohberger, 28, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho. Prosecutors have yet to reveal if they intend to seek the death penalty.

Four things will be discussed in today’s hearing”

– Defence’s motion to compel

– Defence’s motion to make available records of all proceedings of the grand jury

– Defence’s motion requesting release of grand jury materials under protective order

– Defence’s motion to stay proceedings

It’s now seven months since four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death in Moscow.

Here’s everything that’s happened so far.

The Independent’s Io Dodds reports:

Records obtained by ABC News show that Mr Kohberger was arrested allegedly for stealing his sister’s cellphone.

Mr Kohberger reportedly paid $20 to a friend so he could take him to the mall, where he sold the phone for $200. He had just recently been discharged from a rehab centre where he received treatment for his addiction.

His father was the one to file the report with police after Mr Koberger reportedly warned him “not to do anything stupid.”