(NewsNation) — Bryan Kohberger has submitted a new alibi, claiming he was out driving the night four Idaho students were murdered.
In the alibi, Kohberger’s legal team claims he likes to go out for hikes, late night drives and that he was out watching “the moon and the stars” the night four University of Idaho students were murdered.
They dispute that Kohberger was near the victims’ house when police believe the crime happened and say he was driving in the area of Pullman, Washington, several miles west of the college in Moscow, Idaho.
Criminal defense attorney Richard Blok discussed the alibi with NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield on Wednesday night, saying, “It’s not as weak as it sounds, right off the bat.”
“First of all, the night sky in Idaho is terrific. There’s reasons people come out here to go see,” Blok said on “Banfield.” “Second, we’ve got a little bit of cooperation. We have photos from his phone that they’re telling us that they have, including him taking pictures of the night sky in November.”
Kohberger has been charged in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus housing unit. The November 2022 stabbing deaths of the students shocked the small town of Moscow, Idaho, as the search for a suspect moved slowly.
Authorities eventually identified Kohberger using familial DNA and other evidence, including reports of his car being seen near the crime scene.
In March, relatives of two of the slain students issued a statement expressing frustration over the continued uncertainty about the upcoming trial. The Goncalves and Kernodle families said they are tired of the delays that have been issued to avoid mistakes.
“We want to start healing, we do, we want to find justice and try to move on from this horrible tragedy so please, please, start making some decisions, get to work, and quit playing the game,” the statement read.
During pretrial hearings, Kohberger’s attorneys have pushed for the case to be dismissed and argued for the release of sealed genealogy information used to identify him. In a recent hearing, his defense team asked for a change of venue and asked for the trial to be delayed until 2025.
