this article discusses the use of a 3D-modeled replica of the King Road house, where four University of Idaho students where murdered, in the upcoming trial of Bryan Kohberger.
Here’s a breakdown of the key points:
The Victims: The article identifies the victims as kaylee Goncalves,Madison Mogen,Xana Kernodle,and Ethan Chapin. It also mentions that two other roommates lived in the house and that Ethan Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend.
The Model: The FBI created a 4-foot-tall, not-to-scale model of the King Road house on wheels. This model was intended to help jurors visualize the spatial relationships within the three-story,six-bedroom home during witness testimony.
Demolition of the House: The University of Idaho took control of the property after the murders and razed the house in December 2023, nearly a year after Kohberger’s arrest. Neither the prosecution nor the defense opposed the demolition.
Prosecution’s Intent: The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office intended to use the model as a tool to aid witnesses in explaining their testimony and to help the jury understand the crime scene, especially since the trial was moved from Moscow to Boise.
Defense Objection: Kohberger’s lead attorney, Anne Taylor, strongly objected to the use of the model. She argued that the defense had not received sufficient details about the model through the revelation process, making its introduction an “unfair surprise” that could violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights and perhaps “skew the testimony” and “skew the truth.”
Judge’s Reasoning: the judge, Hippler, reasoned that the defense had equal access to the crime scene before its demolition and had ample time to prepare their own use of diagrams. He also stated that it’s not uncommon for demonstrative exhibits to be disclosed closer to trial and that the model is a demonstrative exhibit, similar to a witness’s drawing, rather than having evidentiary value in itself.
Public and Juror Expectation: The article notes that jurors and the public would have expected to see the house model as a regular feature in the courtroom during testimony.
Source: The article was originally published by the Idaho Statesman.* Image Caption: The image caption clarifies that the FBI used 3D photo modeling to create the model, which measured 35-by-48-by-52 inches.
