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THE parents of suspected University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger have been called to testify over a missing woman’s disappearance.
Dana Smithers, 45, disappeared in the same county where Kohberger lived in May 2022, months before four students were found brutally stabbed to death inside a Moscow, Idaho, home.
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Bryan’s parents were served a subpoena and asked to testify before a grand jury in Monroe County, but it’s unclear why they were called.
The appearance could be related to Kohberger, or it could be due to their proximity to Smithers’ case.
Dana Smithers was last seen on May 28, 2022, in Ring camera footage captured around 11pm.
Her remains were discovered a little less than a year later just 30 miles away from the Kohberger home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.
A source close to the matter told NewsNation that Kohberger has a strong alibi which would prove that he is not involved in Smithers’ disappearance, but this information has yet to come to light.
The shocking court appearance comes right after Kohberger silently stood in a Moscow courtroom while the judge entered a nonguilty plea on his behalf.
He remains in custody for allegedly murdering friends Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and couple Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 20.
The four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in the middle of the night on November 13, 2022, igniting fear in the small college town.
The Mogen and Goncalves families have filed tort notices that protect their rights to sue the university and the city of Moscow within the next two years, but have not filed any lawsuits.
While Kohberger’s family has remained relatively tight-lipped since Bryan’s arrest, they released a statement at the turn of the year.
His family said: “First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children.
“There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them.
“We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.”
The statement goes on: “We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions.
“We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process.”
Now that Bryan submitted a plea, he will officially go to trial on October 2 for six weeks.
During his hearing on Monday, the 28-year-old arrived in court in an orange prison jumpsuit.
He was silent while the judge read his rights and informed him once again that he would be facing the death penalty if found guilty of any of the murder charges.
Kohberger responded yes when asked if he understood what he had been told.
It was revealed earlier this month that at least two items seized from Kohberger’s apartment tested positive for the presence of blood.
Court documents released by Washington authorities stated that most items came back negative, but two were positive.
These were a mattress cover and an uncased pillow, both described to have had visible reddish-brown stains.
It was not revealed who the blood belongs to.
The items were seized by cops under a search warrant at Kohberger’s address on December 30, the day of his arrest for the murders.
Ritter told The U.S. Sun: “At the end of the day, they still have the almost unassailable evidence of his DNA being found on the knife sheath at the crime scene, and an eyewitness match describing someone who looks like Kohberger leaving the home on the night of the murders.”
