Bryan Kohberger case: Idaho judge makes ‘family tree’ DNA disclosure decision

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Time-lapse video shows demolition of Idaho student murders house

Workers demolish the home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho on Dec. 28, 2023, where four University of Idaho students were killed on Nov. 13, 2022. (Credit: Derek Shook for Fox News Digital).

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Idaho prosecutors will have to turn over some genetic genealogy evidence used in the Bryan Kohberger investigation, the judge has decided.

The extent of the discovery disclosure is unclear, with a gag order on the case and the specifics filed under seal.

In a public filing, Judge John Judge wrote that after reviewing the disputed evidence, “a portion” should be shared with Kohberger’s defense team.

“The specific material to be provided is set forth in a sealed order to protect the privacy of the IGG (investigative genetic genealogy) information, including individuals on the family tree,” Judge wrote.

IDAHO JUDGE GIVES BRYAN KOHBERGER WIN OVER GENETIC GENEALOGY BATTLE

Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom at the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow, Idaho, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (August Frank/Lewiston Tribune)

Prosecutors had argued that police used IGG evidence to generate leads but not to obtain any warrants in the case and, as a result, did not have to disclose it. 

Police recovered DNA from a Ka-Bar knife sheath under the body of 21-year-old victim Madison Mogen, who they found with stab wounds in an upstairs bedroom alongside her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, 21. 

Investigators later allegedly confirmed a match between a DNA sample on the sheath and Kohberger’s cheek swab.

JUDGE DENIES IDAHO STUDENT MURDER SUSPECT BRYAN KOHBERGER’S INDICTMENT DISMISSAL REQUEST

Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

The other two victims were Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20.

All four were undergrad students at the University of Idaho.

Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. at the neighboring Washington State University, about 10 miles away, at the time of the slayings.

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A view of the sliding glass door in the rear of the home at 1122 King Road, Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 14, 2022. The University of Idaho demolished the house on Dec. 28. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

Kohberger allegedly entered the victims’ six-bedroom rental home and massacred them before a surviving housemate saw a masked man leaving out the back door.

Kohberger drove a white Hyundai Elantra, the same type of car investigators identified as the suspect vehicle, and allegedly turned his phone off before heading to and from the crime scene, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Bryan Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was seen during a traffic stop in Indiana as the quadruple murder suspect made a cross-country drive home to Pennsylvania with his dad in December 2022. (Hancock County Sheriff’s Department)

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Police, citing phone records, also alleged that he stalked the victims’ home on a dozen occasions before the murders and drove by once more hours after. 

Kohberger is being held without bail. Judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment in May.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports