Prosecutors in Bryan Kohberger's Idaho murder case said this week that they found a "game changer" audio recording that related to possible jurors in the case.
Kohberger, 29, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The bodies of the four University of Idaho students were found in an off-campus residence on November 13, 2022. Kohberger has maintained his innocence in the case, previously standing silent during his arraignment. Judge John Judge, who is overseeing the case, entered "not guilty" pleas for each of the charges against him in response.
On Thursday, Kohberger appeared in court for a hearing relating to a survey conducted among possible jurors by his defense team. According to The Lewiston Tribune, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson spoke about the surveys and said that his team received information about them from police, including a "game changer" audio recording about what was asked during the survey.
Thompson said during the hearing that the survey questions violated gag orders in the case and possible jurors were "injected" with information, The Lewiston Tribune reported.
"This survey cannot stand," Thompson added.
The hearing on Thursday comes just a few days after Kohberger's attorney, Anne Taylor, filed a document in court alleging that the survey results showed that possible jurors in Latah County are "biased."
"Mr. Kohberger's life and liberty are at stake. This is a capital case and he is entitled to be heard on motions pending before this Court. Halting preparations for his Motion for Change of Venue denies his constitutional right to a fair trial. The survey work is complete for Latah County and it shows that the jury pool in Latah County is biased," Taylor wrote earlier this week in the filing. "The State's action that resulted in the cessation of the surveys prevents other county comparisons."
Judge responded to the polling conducted by Taylor on Thursday and said it "was a total shock" to him.
"Because this is a big deal, and I take it very, very seriously. And I was surprised, OK, that this was happening behind our backs—my back," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Taylor's office via email for further comment.
Last month, Judge issued an order barring both sides in the case from communicating with potential jurors in the homicide case.
The surveys conducted by Taylor showed that she continues to "vigorously" defend her client, Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor and former elected state attorney, told Newsweek on Wednesday.
"However, the defense counsel's argument that the community survey shows bias with prospective jurors misses the mark. The jury selection process is designed to vet and address juror bias issues and to select a fair, open-minded jury," he said.
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