Idaho Supreme Court rules on Bryan Kohberger's request to dismiss grand jury indictment as he prepares to stand trial for the murder of four university students

The Idaho Supreme Court denied a pretrial appeal by Bryan Kohberger's public defenders that would have served to delay his quadruple-murder case.

The decision was reached Tuesday after Kohberger's lawyers urged the court to throw out the grand jury indictment.

The 29-year-old Pennsylvania man stands accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in November 2022.

Kohberger's lawyers argued that a grand jury sat by prosecutors improperly indicted him on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. 

They contended that the standard for a grand jury to indict should be guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, rather than the lower standard of probably cause, pointing to interpretations of Idaho state law.

The Idaho Supreme Court denied a pretrial appeal by Bryan Kohberger 's public defenders Tuesday

The 29-year-old's legal team had urged the court to toss the grand jury indictment on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary

Kohberger's legal team previously sought to have the indictment dismissed due to inadmissible evidence and prosecutorial misconduct

The ruling did not provide legal reasoning for the court's denial of the motion to appeal. The document was signed by Melanie Gagnepain, clerk of the Idaho Supreme Court.

Although the appeal was dismissed, a separate motion seeking to seal it was granted.

The pretrial appeal was the latest in a series of attempts to delay the murder trial. 

Kohberger's legal team previously sought to have the indictment dismissed due to inadmissible evidence and prosecutorial misconduct, among other claims.

In January, lead defense attorney Anne Taylor asked the court to delay the trial until at least 2025.

Taylor argued that she had not been provided enough time to complete discovery or interview a sufficient number of witnesses.

Later that month, the defense filed a motion to move the trial out of Latah County, arguing 'inflammatory pretrial publicity' and the 'small size of the community' made finding an impartial jury impossible.

A hearing for that request is scheduled for April 17.

The ruling did not provide any legal reasoning for the court's denial of the motion to appeal

Kohberger was charged in connection to the murder of four University of Idaho students who were stabbed to death in their off-campus house in November 2022

The former University of Washington PhD student (pictured in September 2023) is accused of entering the house in the early hours of the morning and killing the four roommates

Investigators said the crime scene was the worst they'd ever witnessed, with blood dripping through the walls of the house

Kohberger was charged in connection to the murder of four University of Idaho students who were stabbed to death in their off-campus housing accommodation on November 13, 2022.

Prosecutors allege Kohberger entered the residence in the early hours of the morning and killed 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin using a knife.

At the time, he was pursuing a PhD in criminology at Washington State University, just across the state line from where the murders took place.

The victims' surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were home at the time of the murders but unharmed. They were ruled out as suspects early into the investigation.

Police sources told DailyMail.com that the crime scene was the worst they’d ever encountered, with so much blood that it seeped through the walls of the house.

Kohberger was arrested at his family’s home in Pennsylvania the following month, concluding a nearly seven-week-long manhunt.

He was brought to Idaho to face the charges and indicted in May 2023.

The indictment allowed prosecutors to bypass a previously scheduled June hearing where the surviving roommates could have been cross-examined.

Kohberger remained silent during his arraignment, forcing the judge to enter a 'not guilty' plea on his behalf.

The 29-year-old has since waived his right to a speedy trial. A trial date has yet to be set.