Idaho Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Indictment in Quadruple Murder Case

Idaho District Judge John Judge has denied the defense’s motion to dismiss the grand jury indictment in the quadruple murder case involving Bryan Kohberger. Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, appeared in court as his defense team argued for the dismissal of the indictment due to alleged errors in the grand jury instructions. The defense had filed the motion on October 26, leading to a series of hearings to assess its validity. During the hearing, the defense argued that the standard of proof for a grand jury indictment should be higher than probable cause, suggesting that it should be closer to beyond a reasonable doubt. However, Judge Judge disagreed with this viewpoint, stating that the grand jury instructions provided to Kohberger were consistent with those given to previous grand juries. He further clarified that he is bound by state law and cannot change it. The defense was advised to present their case to the Idaho Supreme Court if they wished to challenge the current standards for grand jury indictments. Judge Judge denied the motion, citing established precedent in state law. The decision means that the quadruple murder case against Bryan Kohberger will proceed to trial with the grand jury indictment remaining in effect. The judge also expressed concern over independent recordings of court proceedings being released outside of approved cameras but did not ban cameras altogether.