Latest news with #AnthonySomma
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Bryan Kohberger's prison guard named as surprise witness in the Idaho murders trial
A prison guard at the Pennsylvania jail where Bryan Kohberger was taken in the immediate aftermath of his arrest has now been called as a surprise witness in his capital murder trial. In new court documents filed in Pennsylvania this week, two more individuals - William Searfoss and Anthony Somma - were hit with summons to testify in the upcoming trial. Searfoss works as a correction officer at Monroe County Correctional Facility, where Kohberger was held following his arrest at his parents' home in Albrightsville, back on December 30, 2022. The criminology PhD student was housed at the jail for five days before he was extradited to Idaho on January 4, 2023, to face charges for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. It is not clear if Searfoss had interactions with Kohberger during his time behind bars at the jail. Meanwhile, based on a Facebook profile, Somma appears to have attended the Monroe Career & Technical Institute - the same school where Kohberger attended a youth law enforcement program. The accused killer was kicked out of the program following complaints from a group of female students, former high school administrator Tanya Carmella-Beers has previously revealed. Carmella-Beers told The Idaho Massacre podcast in 2023 that Kohberger took the law enforcement program 'extremely seriously' and that he 'wanted law enforcement more than anything else in the world.' Knowing that, she said she was shocked to learn of his arrest. But, based on the nature of the complaints against him at the school, she was less surprised. 'I know another little piece, which is the piece that occurred at the school... so that makes sense,' she said. Carmella-Beers would not divulge the exact details of the complaints made by the female students, saying only: 'A complaint was made, and the teacher reported it to me, and said, 'You know, this is not something we can have. 'An investigation needed to be conducted. Other students were interviewed. Bryan was interviewed. And there comes a time when decisions have to be made, whether it's the decision the student wants or not.' After being removed from the program, Kohberger transferred to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning course instead. It is not clear if Somma's summon as a witness is related to the incidents on the law enforcement program. It is also unclear from the court documents what the purpose of their trial testimony would be - or whether they are being sought as witnesses by the defense or prosecution. However, the two witnesses will now join five other individuals from Kohberger's home state who have been summoned to appear in the trial. The group is due in court in Pennsylvania on June 30 for a hearing to determine whether or not they should be compelled to attend and testify in the out-of-state trial. The other five individuals previously summoned include Ann Parham, who was an advisor at Kohberger's school, and Jesse Harris, who works at a boxing gym where the suspect used to work out. DeSales University Professor Michelle Bolger - who taught the accused quadruple killer during his criminal justice Masters degree - was initially summoned before her name was removed on a later filing and replaced by the name Brandon Andreola. Bolger has previously revealed her shock at hearing what her former student was accused of, telling in the days after his arrest she was 'shocked as s**t.' 'I'm shocked as s**t at what he's been accused of. I don't believe it, but I get it,' she said. 'He's a brilliant student,' she added at the time. Two other mystery individuals - Ralph Vecchio and Maggie Sanders - have also been summoned. The summons in Pennsylvania shine some light on the witness lists in the case - and indicate that the accused killer's past life will fall under the spotlight. In Idaho, both the prosecution and defense's witness lists have been sealed by Judge Steven Hippler, keeping the details of who will be called to testify in the high-profile trial this August shrouded in mystery. However, the DoorDash driver who delivered food to Kernodle minutes before the murders has said she is expecting to testify at the trial. Bodycam footage shows the 44-year-old woman telling police during a traffic stop in Pullman, Washington, last year that she 'saw Bryan' outside the house that night and would be appearing at the trial. The victims' surviving roommates - Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke - are also expected to be star witnesses in the case. Kohberger is due to go on trial this August charged with the November 13, 2022, murders, after the judge looks set to strike down his 11th-hour bid to delay the case. Hippler presided over two critical hearings in Ada County courthouse last Wednesday, where he heard arguments over the accused mass killer's request to postpone proceedings. Kohberger's team had argued that a recent Dateline episode and other publicity had thwarted his right to a fair trial. The show revealed the suspected killer's phone records, porn choices and online searches for Ted Bundy. It also aired never-before-seen surveillance footage of a suspect vehicle fleeing the horrific crime scene on November 13, 2022. His defense also told the judge that the team had not been able to effectively prepare for the trial due to ongoing 'challenges' with discovery and a need to investigate Kohberger's 'life story' ahead of the potential penalty phase. The prosecution argued back that Kohberger's team has had plenty of time to prepare for the trial - coming more than two years after his arrest on December 30 2022 and indictment in May 2023. Prosecutors also argued that, while the Dateline episode does 'pose challenges' to the trial, Kohberger can get a fair trial by seating an impartial jury through the jury selection process. While Hippler said he would 'take the matter under advisement' and issue a written order at a later date, he told both sides 'it's likely you're going to trial on the date indicated.' The judge is also expected to issue a ruling on whether or not Kohberger can present alternate suspects to jurors at the trial. It is not clear who those alternate suspects are - or what evidence the defense may have connecting them to the murders. Based on comments made by his attorneys, the alternate suspect appears to be someone who cropped up during the initial law enforcement investigation. Experts told the Daily Mail that the theory could have a 'significant impact' on the trial if jurors hear it. Jury selection is currently slated for late July through to early August while opening statements will begin August 11. The 30-year-old is accused of breaking into a three-story, off-campus home in the heart of the college town of Moscow, Idaho, and stabbing the victims to death. Two other roommates survived, with one of them coming face-to-face with the masked killer moments after the attack. Kohberger was connected to the murders after his DNA was found on a Ka-Bar leather knife sheath at the scene. Prosecutors also found cellphone records placing him outside the student home multiple times prior to the murders, as well as surveillance footage showing a vehicle matching his car speeding away. If convicted, Kohberger faces the death penalty. S
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Fox News
Kohberger's former jail guard called to testify in quadruple murder case as witness list grows
FIRST ON FOX: Two more Pennsylvania men have been called as witnesses for Bryan Kohberger's upcoming trial in the University of Idaho student murders case – including a jail guard at the facility where the suspected killer was held before his extradition. William Searfoss and Anthony Somma join a group of five other Pennsylvanians who are due in court next week for a hearing on whether they should be compelled to travel cross-country and testify in connection with Kohberger's quadruple murder trial, which is slated to begin in August, according to newly released documents. Searfoss' wife told Fox News Digital that she did not know why he would be asked to testify, but she said he is a correction officer at the jail where Kohberger was taken after his arrest at his parents' house in Albrightsville on Dec. 30, 2022. Shortly after his arrest, reports emerged that Kohberger had shouted at and threatened guards at the Monroe County Correctional Facility – claims Warden Garry Haidle said were not true, according to a report in the Idaho Statesman. Kohberger was held in isolation, and his stay was "uneventful," he told the paper. Attempts to reach Somma were unsuccessful Tuesday. A Facebook profile under the same name belongs to a graduate of the Monroe Career & Technical Institute. Kohberger had attended that school for a youth law enforcement program. Administrators reportedly kicked him out after complaints from female classmates. "Ultimately what had him removed from the program, when I look back on it now, makes sense... the fact that he wanted law enforcement more than anything else in the world, if you look at it from just that perspective alone not knowing what I know… you'd be like, I'm so shocked," Tanya Carmella-Beers, a former school official told "The Idaho Massacre" podcast in 2023. "In that respect I am, but I know another little piece, which is the piece that occurred at the school... so that makes sense." Kohberger transferred to an HVAC program – the industry his father worked in – and left a year later. Despite his removal from the program, he would later list his time there on a job application seeking employment at the nearby Mount Pleasant High School as a part-time security guard. District officials eventually forced him to resign from the security job for reasons that have not been made public, according to records obtained by Fox News Digital. It was not immediately clear whether it was the prosecution or the defense that is seeking to compel either man's testimony. Earlier this month, five other individuals from Kohberger's Pennsylvania past were identified as potential witnesses for his defense, including his former boxing coach, a school adviser and a professor who recommended him for the Ph.D. program he was attending at the time of the murders. Kohberger wrote that he boxed daily at Jesse Harris' gym on a 2015 job application previously obtained by Fox News Digital. He explained that the training helped him develop discipline and maintain physical fitness. Initially, Marie Bolger had also been summoned to court, but her name was removed from a later filing. In a 2023 interview with the Daily Mail, Bolger said Kohberger was one of her brightest students and one of only two she had recommended for Ph.D. programs in a decade as a criminology professor at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. Kohberger obtained a master's degree from DeSales before moving on to Washington State University, about 10 miles from the off-campus home where he is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Bolger told the outlet she had never met Kohberger in person and only taught him over email and Zoom during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. She helped him work on his graduate thesis, which centered on "how and why criminals commit their crime," she said. The other witnesses include Ann Parham, an adviser at the high school Kohberger attended, Ralph Vecchi, Maggie Sanders and Brandon Andreola. Prosecutors allege he left his DNA on a knife sheath detectives found with Mogen's body. They also plan to introduce some of his DeSales homework as evidence that he was well-versed in concepts related to crime scene handling and the transfer of evidence. Kohberger could face death by firing squad if convicted on any of the four charges of first-degree murder he faces. He is also charged with felony burglary in connection with the 4 a.m. home invasion attack.
