Idaho Judge Restricts Release of Graphic Crime Scene Photos from Kohberger Case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho judge has placed restrictions on the release of certain graphic photos taken by investigators in the murder case of Bryan Kohberger, who killed four University of Idaho students in 2022.

Second District Judge Megan Marshall issued a ruling on Wednesday, asserting that the sharing of “incredibly disturbing” photos online could represent an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of the victims’ families, who may unintentionally encounter these images.

Judge Marshall ordered the city of Moscow to redact parts of the images depicting the victims’ bodies or surrounding blood. Nevertheless, the ruling allows for the release of other investigation records, encompassing materials like videos and documents related to the case, including footage featuring the victims’ distraught friends the morning of the discovery of their bodies.

Kohberger was sentenced to life without parole in July for the stabbing murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin, who were found dead in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho.

Family members of the victims Mogen and Chapin had petitioned the judge to keep certain crime scene visuals private, citing their invasive nature and potential to cause trauma.

The case garnered worldwide attention, leading the Moscow Police Department to receive numerous requests for the release of investigation records. Idaho law typically permits the unsealing of investigation records once a criminal investigation concludes.

Following Kohberger’s sentencing, the city of Moscow responded to requests for public records by releasing some photos and videos taken by law enforcement at the crime scene, ensuring that the victims’ bodies and the faces of witnesses were blurred.

“There is little to be gained by the public in seeing the decedents’ bodies, the blood-soaked sheets, blood spatter or other death-scene depictions,” Judge Marshall observed, noting the extreme emotional distress these images have caused the families.

Marshall emphasized, “The fact remains: the murder investigation and the criminal case are closed. Releasing these records will have a minor effect on those who continue to be perplexed by the facts or fixated on unfounded conspiracies, whereas it has and will continue to have a profound effect on the decedents’ loved ones.”