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The man accused of the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students will appear in court today.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, is being held at the Latah County Jail, charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Kohberger has yet to enter a plea.
Prosecutors say Kohberger, a Washington State University doctoral student, broke into an off-campus rental house in Moscow in the early hours of November 13 and fatally stabbed Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The murders rocked the small university town, as weeks went by without an arrest and few details about the investigation were made public.
Then on December 30, Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, after driving across the country with his father.
He made an initial appearance in an Idaho courtroom on January 5 after being extradited last week.
He will return to the Latah County Courthouse for a hearing scheduled for 8 a.m. PST on Thursday before Judge Megan Marshall.
Thursday's hearing is a status conference, which usually focuses on the scheduling of future court dates. However, decisions could be made at such hearings that alter the case's trajectory.
Kohberger may have a chance to waive his right to a speedy trial, which would allow him more time to enter a plea to the charges against him, or he may agree to skip a preliminary hearing.
If a preliminary hearing does take place, Prosecutor Bill Thompson will have to show the magistrate judge that there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed and that the defendant committed it.
If the judge is convinced, the case will be sent to Idaho's 2nd District Court. Kohberger would then appear for arraignment before a district judge. At that point, he will have a chance to enter a plea.
If he pleads not guilty, the case will be set for trial. If he pleads guilty, a sentencing hearing will be set.
Thompson has not said if he will seek the death penalty in Kohberger's case. If he decides to do so, he must file a formal notice with the court no later than 60 days after Kohberger enters a plea.
Attorneys, law enforcement personnel, investigators and others involved in the case are barred from talking under a gag order issued by Judge Marshall that prohibits them from discussing anything "reasonably likely to interfere with a fair trial."
Jason LaBar, the public defender who represented Kohberger in Pennsylvania, has said he is "eager to be exonerated."
About the writer
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda ... Read more