The man accused in the murders of four University of Idaho students is now in the Northwest after being flown to Pullman by Pennsylvania State Police.
What we’re all waiting for is the unsealing of the probable cause documents, which won’t happen until Bryan Kohberger is in Idaho and served with the arrest warrant. Retired FBI lawyer, Bobby Chacon, tells the Law and Crime Trial Network as part of the court file, they are a matter of public record, but there’s also a gag order from the judge, which prevents police, attorneys and anyone else involved with the case from speaking about it publicly. “So these documents, you know, might be unsealed,” Chacon says, “but you just might not have either party allowed to comment on them, so it all depends if the judge issues a sealing order.”
Kohberger’s first hearing will be about making sure he has a lawyer. Retired New York Police Sergeant, Joe Giacalone, says it’s possible one will come work for free just for the exposure. Giacalone says, “I always point to, like, Casey Anthony, where the lawyer steps in who was relatively unknown, and then all of the sudden becomes famous when he won.”
For now, Kootenai County Public Defender, Anne Taylor, appears to have been assigned to Kohberger. Taylor is qualified to handle death penalty cases.