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Idaho murders suspect appears in court with face wounds to waive right to speedy trial
Featured Image Credit: Law and Crime Network/REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo

Idaho murders suspect appears in court with face wounds to waive right to speedy trial

Bryan Kohberger faces four counts of first degree murder

Bryan Kohberger appeared in court with face wounds today where he waived his right to speedy trial.

Earlier this month, the 28-year-old criminology PhD student was charged with the brutal murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Gonclaves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in the early hours of the morning on November 13.

For some time, police struggled to nail down a suspect in what was described by authorities as the 'worst crime scene' they had ever seen.

But this all changed on 30 December when Kohberger, a student at Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania.

The suspected killer appeared in court once more today (January 12) for an update on the case, where he was seen wearing an orange t-shirt and trousers and with unexplained scratches on his face, reports the Independent.

Kohberger’s attorney Anne Taylor told judge Megan Marshall that he was willing to waive his right to a speedy preliminary hearing, which would have meant that it had to be held in two weeks.

She said: "He’s willing to waive timeliness to allow us time to obtain discovery in the case and be prepared."

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson had no objections to the decision, and Marshall set the court date for the preliminary hearing on June 26 where it's expected to last for five days.

The hearing will allow both sides to call witnesses and present evidence to the judge, who will then rule whether the case can be brought to the district court.

The suspect was seen with unexplained scratches on his face.
Law and Crime Network

Until then, the suspect will remain in Latah County Jail after he was denied bail for the second time in a row.

He faces four counts of first-degree murder as well as one count of burglary.

The four victims, who were between ages 20 and 21, were tragically found stabbed to death in the home they shared near the university campus.

Two other roommates were home at the time of the attack and were not injured, although they were quickly ruled out as suspects.

Last week, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said she believes Kohberger had used an online Reddit forum and Facebook to discuss facts of the case before being caught.

According to Coffindaffer, the accounts made claims about the murders that later turned out to be accurate.

She claims that in two posts, the accounts shared two timelines and referenced a knife sheath left at the scene prior to that information being released by authorities.

In one post, the person Coffindaffer suspects to be Kohberger wrote: "Speculation: killer parked behind the house. Approached property through tree line.

The account made several unusually specific claims.
Facebook

"Entered sliding doors and left it open. Committed murders and exited sliding door.

"One knife according to corners [sic] statement. Time of murder approximately 3:20am - 3:40 am according to car fleeing scene and on camera on highway 8 approximately 3:45am. Vehicle left skid marks upon exit."

Another post from December 30 reads: "Of the evidence released, the murder weapon has been consistent as a large fixed blade knife. This leads me to believe they found the sheath."

Sharing the post, Coffindaffer wrote: "This comment was of particular interest after the release of the PCA. The comments just seem to hit home."

Topics: US News, Crime