Key figures from Bryan Kohberger’s past in Pennsylvania, including his former professor and a boxing gym owner, are set to testify in his trial for the Idaho student murders. These witnesses include Marie Bolger, a former professor at DeSales University, who described Kohberger as one of her brightest students and recommended him for Ph.D. programs during the pandemic. Jesse Harris, the boxing trainer, has also been called as a witness, as Kohberger trained daily at his gym.
The defense team is reportedly exploring the ‘alternate perpetrators’ legal strategy, a tactic used in other cases to question the guilt of the defendant. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bolger mentioned that she had only taught Kohberger online during the pandemic, never meeting him in person. She worked with him on his graduate thesis, which focused on criminal behavior. However, she emphasized that she had not met him personally and only communicated with him through digital platforms.
Two other witnesses, Ralph Vecchio and Maggie Sanders, are also expected to testify, though their connections to the case remain unclear. Prosecutors intend to use evidence such as Kohberger’s DNA found at the crime scene, along with his academic work in criminology, to build their case. The trial could result in a death penalty if he is convicted of the crimes. Kohberger, who was pursuing a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University at the time of the murders, faces a severe sentence if found guilty.