Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, declined to take a position after he was charged.
At his hearing on Monday morning at the Latah County Courthouse, Kohberger, 28, opted to “stand silent,” which prompted Judge John Judge to enter a “not guilty” plea on his behalf.
After being detained in Pennsylvania in December and being returned to Idaho in January, the suspected quadruple murderer entered the courtroom shortly after 9.00 am for the much anticipated hearing.
He wore an orange prison jumpsuit with what appeared to be a bulletproof vest underneath.
Last week, Kohberger was indicted for murder and burglary by a secret grand jury for the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in November 2022.
The four victims were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho that they shared with two surviving roommates.
The case went unsolved with no identifiable suspects for about two months before investigators identified Kohberger, a criminology PhD student at nearby Washington State University in late December 2022.
Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania before being extradited back to Idaho, where he has remained in jail since.
At Monday’s hearing, Kohberger answered the judge’s questions with brief ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses.
When asked to enter a plea, Kohberger remained silent. His attorney Anne Taylor informed the judge that her client intended to stand silent instead of pleading ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty.’
His trial date was set for October 2, 2023. The judge also gave state prosecutors 60 days to decide if they would seek the death penalty if Kohberger is found guilty.