Bryan Kohberger Victims’ Families Sue Over Crime Scene Photos: ‘Don’t Look at Them’
The families of Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin, two of the four Idaho college students murdered by Bryan Kohberger, have sued the city of Moscow, Idaho, over the release of crime scene photos.
While appearing on NewsNation’s Banfield, attorney Leander James — the lawyer representing Mogen and Chapin’s families — explained why they believe the lawsuit is necessary.
“They had actually reached a point by the time of the sentencing that they actually had some closure and were able to sort of start to move on somehow,” James told guest host Brian Entin on Monday, August 18. “Then they get hit with this, all of this ugly stuff getting released.”
While James acknowledged that there will likely be photos released due to public interest surrounding the killings, he’s hoping “death scene photos” can remain private.
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“Who wants to look at this stuff?” he asked. “This is just plain wrong. And me, personally, I’m a fan of the First Amendment, I appreciate what the media does, and I appreciate transparency and the right of the public to know. But there is a line there somewhere, and I think we’re over that line.”
In July, Kohberger was sentenced to four life sentences in prison, more than two years after he murdered Mogen, Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle in their Moscow home.
Weeks before sentencing, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all four murders in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
In the early hours of November 13, 2022, police say Kohberger entered the students’ home wearing a black mask before stabbing all four of his victims to death.
“This unfathomable and senseless act of evil has caused immeasurable pain and loss. No parent should ever have to bury their child,” Judge Steven Hippler stated at sentencing. “This is the greatest tragedy that can be inflicted upon a person.”
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In his latest interview with NewsNation, James explained why Mogen and Chapin’s families wanted to take legal action to prevent more photos of the crime from being released to the public.
“For them, I think it’s an unwarranted invasion into their privacy for any of the interior photos to get out there, or any of the gory photos,” he shared. “I think the core images here are images of the death scene, the bodies and those types of things where the murders took place. Those, I think, are the most objectionable and are an unwarranted evasion and should not be released.”
Before a judge makes a ruling on what, if anything else, can be released, James asked anyone who sees the images “to think of the parents and the family members of these kids who were killed and to think about how they would feel if they were in their situation and to not view these photos. Please don’t look at them if they’re out there.”