7 days ago
BREAKING NEWS Bryan Kohberger's past life looms as new witnesses could reveal intimate details at Idaho murders trial
's past life is set to fall under the spotlight in his upcoming capital trial with several people in Pennsylvania now called to appear as witnesses in the case.
In a new court document filed in Pennsylvania, five individuals including his former professor at DeSales University and a woman who works at a boxing gym where he used to train were hit with summons connected to the trial.
The group was ordered to appear for a hearing on June 30 to show why they should not be called to testify in the high-profile trial in Idaho this summer.
Among the names on the list are DeSales University Professor Michelle Bolger - who taught the accused quadruple killer during his criminal justice Masters degree.
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.
Others summoned as witnesses 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.
The 30-year-old suspect used to box every day at the gym, according to a 2015 job application previously reported by Fox News.
Two other mystery individuals - Ralph Vecchio and Maggie Sanders - have also been summoned.
It is not clear 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, this comes just days after Kohberger's team filed an amended mitigation witness list with the court in Idaho.
The list was sealed, keeping it shrouded in secrecy.
Kohberger is due to go on trial this August charged with the November 13, 2022, murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in a horrific crime that shocked the nation.
The suspect 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.
He was arrested on December 30, 2022, at his parents' home in Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania - the region where he grew up.
If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
With the trial looming, Kohberger's defense has made a string of last-ditch efforts to save him from the firing squad - seeking a delay to the trial and pointing to an alternate suspect.
Just three months before his trial, Kohberger's lawyers claim to have identified an alternate suspect they say could be the real killer.
As it stands, the identity of this suspect or suspects and what evidence the defense has that could tie them to the brutal murders remains a mystery - as the filings remain under seal.
Based on comments made by his attorneys, the alternate suspect appears to be someone who cropped up during the initial law enforcement investigation.
In a hearing on April 9, Kohberger's lead attorney Anne Taylor told the court she had found a lead on another suspect buried among a trove of tips collected by police.
She also previously revealed the defense's plans to argue Kohberger was framed by someone planting his DNA at the crime scene - and that two people must have committed the crime using two weapons.
Judge Hippler gave the defense a deadline of May 23 to hand over evidence to support the claims.
Now, the prosecution has until June 6 to respond to the claims before a court hearing is held later that month where the judge will decide if the defense can present this alternate suspect at the trial.
Experts told the Daily Mail that the theory could have a 'significant impact' on the trial if jurors hear it.
'Ultimately, the jury has to be unanimous… if you convince just one juror that there is a reasonable alternative suspect, he walks,' criminal defense attorney David Seltzer said.
He believes the idea could provide a powerful story to counter the more technical prosecution case.
The defense is also trying to delay the trial altogether - citing a recent Dateline episode that revealed bombshell new details about the case.
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.
Days after the show aired, Judge Hippler handed down a scathing court order saying that the release of 'sensitive information' in the episode shows that someone close to the case has 'likely' violated the gag order.
He warned that this could make it more difficult to seat an impartial jury when Kohberger goes on trial for his life this August - something that those close to the victims described as 'a distraction.'
The judge ordered an investigation into the leak, vowing to root out the source and hold the culprit to account.
Both sides were ordered to preserve all records around the case and to hand over a list of names of everyone who might have had access to the information revealed on the show, including staff members, law enforcement officers and defense consultants.
Both the defense and prosecution have now handed over these records.
Jury selection is slated to begin in late July or early August, with the trial getting underway August 11.
