Kohberger defense expert alleges police mishandled knife sheath. What to know
A forensic scientist who worked for Bryan Kohberger’s defense team alleges police mishandled the knife sheath that tied Kohberger to the Moscow quadruple-murder scene, claiming the chain of custody documentation was added after the fact. Veteran Idaho criminal attorneys and police involved in the case rejected the claims, saying such challenges rarely succeed and would not have kept the evidence out of a trial.
FULL STORY: Kohberger defense expert says police mishandled key evidence in Idaho murder case
Here are key takeaways:
• The allegation: Defense expert Brent Turvey said the evidence bag for the knife sheath lacked required signatures and that the chain of custody sticker was added later by a single person, which he called “manufactured.”
• The evidence at stake: The Idaho State Police crime lab found a single source of male DNA on the leather knife sheath recovered from the King Road house, later confirmed to be Kohberger’s — a pivotal piece of the prosecution’s case.
• Legal experts pushed back: Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said a chain of custody can be affirmed in court through testimony of each person who handled evidence, even without a specific log with individual signatures.
• Moscow police defended their process: Chief Anthony Dahlinger said his department uses electronic bar codes rather than handwritten logs and that the evidence packaging’s unbroken seal and signature met legal requirements.
• The case ended with a plea: Kohberger, 31, pleaded guilty last July to four counts of first-degree murder and received four consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole, waiving all appeal rights.
• Even if challenged, the evidence likely would have been admitted: Boise defense attorney Edwina Elcox said a procedural flaw would not have excluded the evidence, but instead left jurors to decide how much weight to give it.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.