Judge orders probe in information leak on NBC ‘Dateline’ episode about Bryan Kohberger

An Ada County judge has ordered a probe into leaked information to media about the ongoing murder case of four University of Idaho students.

The information leaked to NBC’s “Dateline” about suspect Bryan Kohberger is a direct violation of a nondissemination order, the judge wrote. It was issued in January 2023 to bar investigators and people with knowledge of the case from disclosing information that might influence potential jurors and upend efforts to ensure Kohberger receives a fair trial.

Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The four were found stabbed to death in an off-campus Moscow home in 2022. His trial is set for August – but because of the leak, it will likely increase the time and costs it will take to seat an impartial jury, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler wrote in his Thursday order.

The source of the leak should be identified and “held to account,” Hippler wrote. Rather than six alternate jurors, he told the court in a Thursday hearing he would be adding two . He also said he would be open to appointing a special prosecutor so they could question people about the leak under oath.

The “Dateline” episode, which aired May 9, shared specific details about what investigators found on Kohberger’s phone . According to Dateline, Kohberger scoured the internet for information about infamous serial killer Ted Bundy and made a number of searches for pornography with the keywords “drugged,” “sleeping” and “passed out.” His phone also connected 23 times in four months to a cellphone tower near the home where the four students were killed, according to the “Dateline” report.

Anyone formerly or currently involved with the quadruple homicide case is prohibited from deleting any communications, files or documents related to Kohberger, according to the order. The defense and prosecution must also submit a list of people that would have had access to Kohberger’s cellphone records, social media, internet search history and other electronic devices that were a point of discussion in the show.

If it is found anyone disobeyed Hippler’s ruling, they could be held in contempt of court, the order states.

Kohberger’s trial is set to commence in Boise on Aug. 11.