The attorney for the suspect in the University of Idaho quadruple murder case used to represent the parent of one of the victims.
Court filings indicate that Anne Taylor, chief of the Kootenai County Public Defender’s Office, submitted a withdrawal note from the parent’s cases in Kootenai County Court on Jan. 5 — the same day suspect Bryan Kohberger made his first trial appearance.
IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS: GAG ORDER PLACED ON ATTORNEYS FOR VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
Kohberger is accused of stabbing Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, multiple times in the chest with a large knife on Nov. 13. He was arrested on Dec. 30 and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
The parent was sentenced on unrelated misdemeanor charges in 2017, per the Idaho Statesman.
The parent was most recently arrested on felony drug charges on Nov. 19, six days after the deaths of the victims, according to the documents, per NewsNation.
The public defender’s office withdrew in favor of another attorney from a different office with no connection to Taylor. Taylor is now listed as an “inactive attorney” on the parent’s felony case and the 2017 case, which has concluded.
Idaho legal experts told the Idaho Statesman that this could cause a conflict of interest in the high-profile murder case.
“Anytime a former client is involved in a current representation, a lawyer should evaluate any potential conflicts,” Brad Andrews, former counsel for the Idaho State Bar, said.
Taylor is one of 13 public defenders who can take up a capital punishment case in the state, per the outlet. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek the death penalty for Kohberger.
Attorneys for both the defense and prosecution, as well as law enforcement, victim families’ attorneys, and investigators, are under a gag order from Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall. The order prohibits those groups from making written or oral statements on the case and from sharing evidence or character or criminal records of the parties involved.
At least 20 news organizations, including the Idaho Statesman, have retained an attorney to challenge the gag order.
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Police took over a month to track evidence that led them to arrest Kohberger. DNA evidence, his vehicle, and cellphone data are among several pieces of evidence obtained by investigators in the case.
Kohberger’s next court date is set for June 26. That will mark seven months since the murders.
