Kohberger attorney blasts the media over gag order

Anthony Kuipers, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
·2 min read

Jun. 9—Bryan Kohberger's attorney says the media coverage of the Moscow murder case has been "uniformly abysmal" in his latest argument to maintain a gag order for the case.

Since Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall signed a gag order in January prohibiting attorneys and law enforcement involved in the case from speaking publicly about it, media organizations argue it violates their First Amendment rights.

According to the gag order, as well as Kohberger's attorneys, it is necessary to protect Kohberger's right to a fair trial.

Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the November stabbing deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Kohberger remains in Latah County Jail.

Today, Latah County District Judge John Judge will preside over a hearing where the media coalition, which includes the Lewiston Tribune and the Daily News, will make its argument to vacate the order. Judge will also hear arguments from the Goncalves family attorney, Shanon Gray, who sought a hearing to amend the gag order so he can speak to the public on behalf of his clients.

In a recently released court document, Kohberger's attorney Jay Weston Logsdon argues the intense public interest of this case will harm Kohberger's right to a fair trial.

Logsdon states there have been somewhere around 46,000 media stories on this murder case so far and he called the media coverage "uniformly abysmal."

"Even ignoring the 'true crime' community on social media, professional media such as NBC Dateline, NewsNation, and Fox News have been a never ending circus of bad facts and worse opinions — all intended to see Mr. Kohberger killed," he wrote.

He argues the media does not report substantive information, but instead "tantalize viewers with gory theories and whatever nightmares their parade of 'experts' can create."

Logsdon warns that negative publicity may make witnesses afraid to testify. He also criticized Gray for not adhering to the gag order while attorneys for all other victims and witnesses have been quiet.

"Keeping the Amended Nondissemination Order means the Media will have to report facts as they come out and are vetted in court," he wrote. "Keeping the Order means certain involved parties and lawyers are committed to trying this case in a courtroom, not the press."

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.