Bryan Kohberger’s defense given access to house where murders occurred before demolition

The University of Idaho said that Bryan Kohberger’s defense team was given access to the house where four students were killed before it’s set to be demolished later this month.

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The house where Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were killed was given to the University of Idaho earlier this year. The university plans to start demolition of the building on Dec. 28, according to The Associated Press.

The university said it decided to have demolition start over winter break to “decrease further impact on the students who live in that area.”

Last month, Kohberger’s defense attorneys asked for access as they prepare for a trial, the university said. They were given access on Thursday and Friday, according to officials.

No trial date has been set yet.

University President Scott Green called the house “the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there.”

“While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue,” he said.

Officials charged Kohberger with burglary and first-degree murder in the deaths of Chapin, Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves.

Authorities said he was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University, a short drive from where the murders took place. He was arrested at his parent’s house in Pennsylvania due to DNA evidence, cellphone data and surveillance video, investigators said.