Bryan Kohberger donned a suit during his recent court appearance, showcasing a different appearance from his previous court hearings.
On Tuesday, Kohberger, the 28-year-old quadruple murder suspect, appeared in court in Latah County, Idaho, for several motions filed by his public defender Anne Taylor. During the hearing, Kohberger was seen walking into the courtroom wearing a suit. However, in his initial court appearance following his arrest in December, Kohberger arrived wearing an orange jumpsuit, prompting some social media users to bring up the different outfits.
Kohberger's appearance in court on Tuesday came just one day after Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson filed a document announcing his intent to seek the death penalty.
Kohberger was arrested in December and charged with four counts of murder in the first degree and one count of felony burglary in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20 and Xana Kernodle, 20. When arrested in Pennsylvania, Kohberger's former attorney said that his client was "eager to be exonerated," and during his arraignment, the judge entered not-guilty pleas for each of the charges after Taylor said her client was "standing silent."
Neama Rahmani, the President of West Coast Trial Lawyers and former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek that he expects Kohberger to arrive in court in a suit and not handcuffed for future appearances and at trial.
"Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit or handcuffs is prejudicial, and juries implicitly believe that a defendant is guilty despite the presumption of innocence. That's why defense lawyers almost always put their clients in formal or business attire, and judges regularly grant defense requests for the same," Rahmani told Newsweek.
Michael McAuliffe, an elected state attorney and former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek on Wednesday that Kohberger wearing a suit "doesn't change the quantum of evidence against the defendant for the four murders or the fact that the State is seeking to execute him."
"The overall situation for Kohberger has deteriorated with the filing of the death penalty notice," McAuliffe told Newsweek.
In addition to the intent to seek the death penalty, the prosecution recently filed a court document stating that Kohberger's DNA taken from a buccal swab was a "statistical match" to the DNA profile found on a knife sheath recovered from the scene.
However, Kohberger's legal team has argued against this finding, saying that no other DNA evidence was found at his apartment or in his vehicle.
"No matter what came first, the car or the genetic genealogy, the investigation has provided precious little. There is no connection between Mr. Kohberger and the victims. There is no explanation for the total lack of DNA evidence from the victims in Mr. Kohberger's apartment, office, home, or vehicle," Jay Weston Logsdon, a public defender in Kootenai County and member of Kohberger's defense team, said.
Newsweek reached out to Taylor's office via email for comment.
