BOISE, ID — The long-awaited murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, the former criminology Ph.D. student accused of brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in November 2022, will officially begin on August 18 — a week later than initially scheduled — following a series of pretrial rulings handed down Thursday by Judge Steven Hippler.

According to ABC News, Hippler denied the defense’s request to delay the trial further, rebuffing arguments that Kohberger’s legal team needs more time to prepare and respond to ongoing pretrial publicity. In a sternly worded order, Hippler made clear that the defense had not met the legal threshold for a continuance.

“Defendant seeks an unbounded continuance with no apparent plan to complete the review of unspecified evidence,” the judge wrote, sharply criticizing what he described as vague and delayed complaints from the defense about evidence overload. He added, “This is not sufficient to warrant continuance.”

One of the most consequential decisions came in response to the defense’s attempt to introduce evidence that someone other than Kohberger may have committed the crimes. The defense had submitted, under seal, information about four alternate individuals — including one man who had briefly followed a victim outside a store weeks before the killings. All four had been cleared by investigators after providing DNA and fingerprint samples.

But Judge Hippler was unequivocal: the proposed evidence was “entirely irrelevant” and rooted in “wild speculation.”

“Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to a reasonable inference that they committed the crime,” Hippler ruled, according to ABC News. “Indeed, it would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding.”

The judge warned that allowing such a theory in court would waste the jury’s “precious time” and “lead them astray.” While the defense won’t be permitted to argue that unknown parties were responsible, they will still be allowed to question law enforcement about whether the investigation was thorough and properly pursued all plausible leads.

As reported by KREM, the trial timeline is now locked in. Sealed pretrial proceedings will begin July 28 and run through August 1. Jury selection will start on August 4, leading up to opening statements on August 18.

Kohberger’s lead attorney, Anne Taylor, had argued in a June 18 hearing that moving forward with the trial in August would violate her client’s constitutional right to a fair trial. She pointed to continued difficulties in reviewing a vast collection of discovery materials and in securing cooperation from potential witnesses.

“We have to review all discovery to present a full defense,” Taylor told the court, according to KREM. “We cannot present what we are not aware of.”

But Hippler countered that the defense has had ample opportunity — nearly two years — to prepare, and has not clearly explained what evidence remains unreviewed or why that review couldn’t have happened sooner.

Publicity No Excuse for Delay, Judge Says

The defense also pointed to what it called “inflammatory” media coverage, including content aired on NBC’s Dateline, arguing that a delay could help lessen the risk of prejudice in selecting an impartial jury.

But Judge Hippler dismissed that argument too, saying the court “cannot guarantee that pretrial publicity would fade with time.” In fact, he suggested, the opposite might be true.

“The longer the public is made to sit and wait for the facts to come out at trial,” he wrote, “the more time there is for inflammatory, speculative stories, movies and books to circulate.”

Former Idaho Attorney General David Leroy, speaking to KREM, said the court’s decision aligns with legal precedent: “There’s an old saying — justice delayed is justice denied. The defense has had a considerable period of time to get all of its ducks in order.”

Judge Hippler did acknowledge that Kohberger’s team has done significant work to prepare for trial, particularly the sentencing phase, should he be convicted. According to ABC News, the defense has compiled extensive records: Kohberger’s medical, educational, and mental health history, his father’s military files, interviews with relatives, teachers, a former coach, a psychologist, and even jailhouse communications.

Still, Hippler questioned whether their push for more time was based more on “tactical gamesmanship” than genuine need. He cited a sealed filing containing what he called “unsupported suspicions” the defense still wants to pursue.

The prosecution has made it clear it will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted of the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were found stabbed to death inside an off-campus rental house in Moscow, Idaho.

As the clock ticks toward trial, what’s now certain is that both the defense and prosecution will have to make their cases within the confines of the court — not in speculation, and not in delay.