And welcome to the Sunday News at 10.
I'm Doug Pet Cash,
the man accused of killing four University
of Idaho students more than six months ago,
will be in court tomorrow morning in Moscow.
Prosecutors say Brian Koberger
stabbed Zana Kernodel, Ethan Ch,
Madison Mogan and Kayleigh Gonss
at a home next to campus in the
early morning hours of November 13th.
Coburger will be arraigned on 4
counts of first degree murder ad
one count of burglary.
Our Morgan Romero is up in Moscw
covering this story for us.
She is there live right now.
Morgan, what can we expect tomo?
Doug, good evening from Stormy, Moscow.
Brian Koberger has a chance to
enter a plea here in District
Court in Latau County tomorrow.
He can plead not guilty.
He can stand silent,
and a judge can enter a not
guilty plea on his behalf.
He can ask for a continuance
or he can plead guilty.
Experts I talked to say there is
no chance that Brian Koberger
pleads guilty in this case.
At 9:00 AM here at the courthoue
Pacific Time tomorrow,
District Court Judge John Judge
will officially tell Koberger he
was indicted on the five charge.
And ask if he wants the
charges read out loud.
The judge will also tell Coburgr
the penalties those charges car.
The judge will then ask if
he's prepared to enter a plea.
If Coburger pleads not guilty
or the judge enters it for him,
the case will be set for trial.
Attorneys say if he asks for a continuance,
he'll still be arraigned tomorr,
but the judge will set the
case for another hearing.
Typically within a week or two,
and he'll enter a formal plea.
At that time,
a grand jury convened in private
and indicted Coburger last weekn
the five charges he already fac,
meaning he'll no longer have
his preliminary hearing we were
waiting for in late June.
With the formal charges now
filed in an indictment,
the case moves into District Co.
Former Ada County chief Deputy Prosecutor
Jean Fisher says prosecutors alo
shaved off a month's worth of t.
Fisher says a grand jury is a gt
tool for prosecutors in this ca.
Given the sensitive nature of i,
the vulnerable witnesses and vis
like the surviving roommates,
and all the national attention around it,
when a grand jury convenes,
prosecutors lay out some of ther
evidence and present probable cause to
16 community members rather than to a judge.
Also,
this is key.
The defense is not there to cros
examine any witnesses.
I don't think that taking this case to
the grand jury would have come to any
big surprise to anybody in the defense.
World, especially on a case of this nature,
with this, with this sort of attention.
So that certainly shouldn't have
caught them by surprise, you kn,
whether or not it affects their
ability to enter a plea or not.
Like I said, the chances of him
pleading guilty at the stage
in the proceedings to me is 0.
So, you know, if anything,
maybe they would have liked to
have an opportunity to question
and cross examine and and and.
Fish a little bit at a preliminary hearing,
but they they shouldn't have
been surprised by this at all.
When we got into Moscow tonight,
we went to the home where
the students were killed.
The doors and windows are boardd
up and a fence surrounds the ho.
Now there's a security guard manning a
little blue trailer in the driv.
Six months later,
there is still crime scene tapes
well as this makeshift memorial
outside the property once a plea
is entered for the man accused f
murdering those students in this home.
His trial could happen within
the next six months,
or he could waive his right to a
speedy trial and it can be prold
for several months from now,
like the VALO in Daybell cases.
The judge could also move Coburs
trial down to Ada County or anor
county in Idaho where there's a better
chance of finding a fair and impartial jury.
Fisher also pointed out if
Coburger enters a plea tomorrow,
the 60 day countdown begins for
prosecutors to file a notice that they
want to seek the death penalty in this case.
Koberger also has two other
procedural hearings lined up
tomorrow after his arraignment.
If anything of importance comes out of those,
we will be sure to report them t
here on Channel 7 as well as on ktvb.com.
Doug
and Morgan, you and I will be he
live on air tomorrow morning if
things wrap up in that time frae
to bring everybody the latest.
Again, thank you, Morgan.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Koberger's arraignment is schedd
to start at 9:00 AM Pacific Tim.
That's 10:00 AM our time, Mountain time.
We cannot carry it live from ine
the courtroom. We do plan to hae
a live report right after the.
The arraignment wraps up to let
you know what happened. And.