Attorneys for a man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death late last year want cameras banned from courtrooms, arguing that news coverage of the criminal proceedings violated a judge’s order and threatened his right to a fair trial.
Bryan Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder in connection with the death at a rental home near the university’s campus in Moscow, Idaho, last November.
A judge entered a not guilty plea on Kohberger’s behalf earlier this year.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said he intends to seek the death penalty, and the case is scheduled for trial this fall, although it could be delayed.
Kohberger is a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University, which is a short drive from the scene of the murder across the state line.
He was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, and the unusual details of the case have drawn widespread interest.
Second District Judge John Hakim heard arguments on camera access Wednesday afternoon but did not immediately rule.
Kohberger was indicted on four counts of murder in connection with the death at a rental house near the university campus in Moscow, Idaho, last November.AP
In court documents filed late last month, defense attorneys Anne Taylor and Jay Logsdon said the media group of photographers and videographers violated the judge’s order to show wide shots of the courtroom and refrain from capturing images of notes on attorneys’ desks.
Kohberger’s attorneys pointed to photos showing their client walking into the courtroom and watching court proceedings while sitting at the defense table, as well as more zoomed-out video that included unbreakable white paper on the defense table and part of a laptop screen Taylor.
At that time, laptop screens displayed images from the in-court camera system, which were also displayed on large courtroom projector screens throughout the proceedings.
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“The cameras’ continued exclusive focus on Mr. Kohberger provides fodder for observers and so-called ‘analysts’ on social media, who are not bound by notions of journalistic integrity and who have the potential to reach a greater reach than traditional media,” the defense attorney wrote, pointing to posts that did not interesting about Kohberger at X, formerly known as Twitter.
But Wendy Olson, an attorney representing a coalition of news organizations including The Associated Press, said pool photographers and videographers have followed the judge’s instructions closely, providing multiple photos and videos of all courtroom participants and often keeping the photos wide. can be implemented in a relatively small courtroom.
In court documents filed last week, Olson noted that the news organization also posted images including close-ups of judges and experts who had testified in the case.
Courtroom cameras provide the public with government transparency and increase understanding of the judicial branch’s responsibilities, he wrote, and can counter false or misleading narratives that are often spread on social media sites.
“Removing the cameras from the courtroom will not prevent or reduce media coverage of Mr. Kohberger’s case, but it will lead to a less accurate picture of the justice process,” Olson wrote.
Latah County prosecuting attorney Bill Thompson agreed that a responsible news media has “tremendous value” in helping the public understand the real facts of what happened in court, but said that could be accomplished without any photos or videos.
He wrote in court documents that cameras can have a distressing effect on vulnerable witnesses who are deeply affected by the death and who have already experienced threats and harassment online.
Thompson asked the judge to ban cameras in courtrooms at least during the trial and any other proceedings where vulnerable victims may be asked to testify.
The bodies of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found on November 13, 2022, in a home across the street from the University of Idaho campus. Investigators gathered DNA evidence, cell phone data and surveillance video that they say linked Kohberger to the murder.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
