(NewsNation) — At least seven individuals from Pennsylvania have been called to testify in the Idaho murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, who is accused in the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger’s trial will begin in August, and the court has called William Searfoss, Anthony Somma, Ann Parham, Brandon Andreola, Jesse Harris, Maggie Sanders and Ralph Vecchio as witnesses, according to the Pocono Record.
These individuals are expected to attend a hearing on June 30 in Pennsylvania, which will determine whether they must testify at Kohberger’s trial, as it involves cross-country travel, the outlet reported.
Kohberger is facing the death penalty in the killings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
Guard where Bryan Kohberger was held before extradition called to testify
A little over a month after the killings, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30 and extradited to Idaho. One of the individuals called to testify, Searfross, is reportedly a jail guard at the facility where Kohberger was held before his extradition, according to Fox News.
Sources confirmed to NewsNation’s Brian Entin that Kohberger was on suicide watch in the Pennsylvania jail where he was being held. At one point, Kohberger, who had a “blank stare,” asked officers whether anyone else was arrested.
Bryan Kohberger threatened in prison: Source
An inmate at the same prison allegedly threatened Kohberger, a source told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield. The source said Kohberger was housed in a cell with a glass door that offered little privacy beyond a blurred strip running along the middle of it.
“F— you, I’m going to kill you,” an inmate said with his middle finger raised to Kohberger as he sat in the cell.
Kohberger looked “creepy,” according to the source, and did not appear remorseful or distressed in his five days in the Monroe County jail, but did talk to the people there. When he was asked why he killed the four students, he responded, “I didn’t do anything.”
When he was asked why he even went to Moscow, Idaho, he said, “The shopping is better in Idaho.”
Bryan Kohberger and team try to get trial delayed
Kohberger appeared in court last week in a bid to delay his trial. Judge Steven Hippler heard arguments over whether law enforcement leaks of sensitive information warrant a delay as requested by Kohberger’s team.
Hippler said he would take the matter under advisement but indicated that both sides should continue to prepare as if the trial would begin in August as previously scheduled.
An investigation into the leaker’s identity is in progress, and Hippler has previously mentioned the possibility of employing a special prosecutor.
Prosecutors have said a delay is unnecessary and unfair to the victims’ families. The four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death Nov. 13, 2022, in an off-campus house, shocking the small town of Moscow, Idaho, and setting off a search for a suspect.