Idaho Judge Restricts Release of Graphic Crime Scene Photos in Kohberger Case

Mon Oct 20 2025 21:33:58 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a significant ruling, an Idaho judge has blocked the dissemination of disturbing crime scene images related to the murder of four University of Idaho students by Bryan Kohberger, citing privacy concerns for victims' families.

A judge in Idaho has restricted the release of certain graphic photos from the murder scene involving Bryan Kohberger, stating that their release serves as an invasion of privacy for the victims' families. While some materials related to the investigation will be available to the public, images showing the victims' bodies will be blacked out. Kohberger was sentenced to life without parole for the brutal stabbings in 2022, which have drawn widespread media attention.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho judge has made a pivotal decision to block the release of graphic photographs taken by investigators after Bryan Kohberger murdered four University of Idaho students in November 2022.

Second District Judge Megan Marshall issued the ruling on Wednesday, emphasizing that the wide dissemination of these incredibly disturbing images across the internet could lead to victims’ families encountering them inadvertently, which she deemed an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

As part of the ruling, Judge Marshall instructed the city of Moscow to redact parts of the images revealing any section of the victims' bodies or blood surrounding them. Simultaneously, she acknowledged the public's right to review investigation records, allowing for other materials—such as videos of grieving friends on the morning the bodies were discovered—to be released.

Kohberger was sentenced to life without parole in July for the stabbing murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin at an off-campus rental house in Moscow, Idaho.

Family representatives of two victims, Mogen and Chapin, had urged the judge to prevent the release of these crime scene materials, citing concerns over their invasive nature and potential to cause additional trauma.

The criminal case surrounding Kohberger attracted global attention, with the Moscow Police Department receiving numerous requests to disclose investigatory records. Idaho law permits the release of sealed investigation details once a criminal inquiry concludes.

Upon Kohberger's sentencing, the city of Moscow had previously responded to such requests by issuing some photos and videos from law enforcement at the crime scene, while taking care to obscure the images of the victims and faces of those who interacted with police outside the home.

Marshall articulated her reasoning, stating, There is little to be gained by the public in seeing the decedents’ bodies, the blood-soaked sheets, blood spatter or other death-scene depictions. She highlighted the extreme emotional distress these images have already caused the families involved.

In closing, she stated that while the murder investigation is concluded, releasing the records would not satisfy public curiosity without inflicting profound harm on the loved ones of the deceased.