Bryan Kohberger did not formerly enter a plea, standing silent after the judge read the charges against him in court. The judge then entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.
The Bryan Kohberger murder trial is set to start on Oct. 2.
Kohberger appeared in court on Monday morning after a grand jury voted to indict him on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
Also in the court room on Monday were the families of his four alleged victims, many of whom stared down the murder suspect when he glanced their way after taking his seat.
Kohberger then turned away and looked straight ahead for the rest of the 15-minute hearing.
Judge John Jude informed Kohberger of the charges against him and the possible penalties if convicted, revealing he would be facing life in prison or the death penalty for each of the murder counts. He would also face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the burglary charge.
Kohberger acknowledged that he understood every aspect of the indictment and charges but when it came time to enter a plea he opted for standing silent instead, with his public defender informing the judge that they did not wish to enter a plea at this time.
The judge acknowledged this and said he would record the plea as not guilty.
Kohberger arrived in an orange jumpsuit with what appeared to be a bulletproof vest underneath, and had no family in the main courtroom.
The case has received national attention ever since the bodies of four University of Idaho students were found dead in a house just off the school’s Moscow campus.
Interest in the case only grew during the six weeks it took police to finally make an arrest in the case.
Kohberger was eventually apprehended in the early morning hours of Dec. 30 at his childhood home in Pennsylvania.
A probable cause affidavit said that his arrest came just days after investigators matched DNA found in trash pulled from Kohberger’s home to DNA found on a knife sheath discovered at the murder scene.
Authorities have yet to find the weapon that killed those students: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
Kohberger had previously told the public defender assigned to handle his extradition from Pennsylvania to Idaho that he expects to be exonerated of all charges at trial.
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