Bryan Kohberger Trial Update Raises Questions About Roommates' Testimony

The judge overseeing Bryan Kohberger's case in Idaho will allow the continued use of cameras in the courtroom, but plans to exert more control over them, sparking questions about how cameras could impact sensitive witness testimony.

Kohberger, 28, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20. All four victims were students at the University of Idaho when they were killed in an off-campus residence last November. Kohberger previously stood silent during his arraignment allowing Judge John Judge to enter not guilty pleas for each charge on his behalf. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have previously announced they plan to seek the death penalty for Kohberger.

During Thursday's hearing, Judge announced that he would continue allowing still and video cameras in the courtroom despite opposition from the defense and prosecution. Judge said he planned to exert more control over the cameras, although it's unclear how he plans to do so.

"I'm not going to ban cameras in the courtroom, but I need more control over what cameras are doing," Judge said at the hearing, according to a report by The Seattle Times. "I know I can only control so much, and that's why I continue to urge people to be patient and have some dignity and some restraint."

Both the defense and the prosecution have argued against the use of cameras in the courtroom. The prosecution said that cameras should be barred from the courtroom during certain testimonies from "young and vulnerable witnesses," such as the victims' two roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke. The defense previously accused cameras of focusing on Kohberger's "fly" and said that journalists had disregarded Judge's request to "cease focusing exclusively on Mr. Kohberger," according to a legal filing in August.

Newsweek reached out to Kohberger's public defender Anne Taylor by email for comment.

Brad Rudley, deputy attorney in the Latah County Prosecutor's Office, advocated for a complete camera ban, but requested that the judge at least prohibit cameras from filming or shooting sensitive evidence or witness testimonies, such as that of Mortensen and Funke.

Judge said he would issue his final decision at a later date, making it unclear what impact more control over cameras in the courtroom could have on Mortensen and Funke's testimonies.

Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent who is not involved in the case, previously told Newsweek that cameras in the courtroom could impact testimonies because "many people, especially young people, have never been in front of a camera."

Despite the pushback from the defense and prosecution, several media outlets and some of the victims' families have advocated for the use of continued use of cameras in the courtroom.

"Speculation is fueled by the secrecy surrounding everything that is filed and every hearing that is closed off to the media and the public," a statement said from Shanon Gray, the attorney for the Goncalves family, according to The Seattle Times. "So it is vitally important that the trial be viewed publicly! It is important to the victims' family, relatives, community members and the public that this veil of secrecy be lifted at trial. This not only ensures accountability for all the parties involved, but also helps the public maintain its faith in the justice system!"