Bryan Kohberger Judge Could Slap Contempt Charges On Leakers: Idaho-based Lawyer

An Idaho-based lawyer says nan judge overseeing nan Bryan Kohberger quadruple execution lawsuit could punishment nan prosecution aliases defense squad for contempt of tribunal aft caller accusation was leaked to a media outlet.

A TV section astir nan Bryan Kohberger investigation aired connected May 9, and featured caller hunt records, surveillance video and cellphone records. Kohberger is accused of killing Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

Information shared during nan "Dateline" section included surveillance video from a neighboring house, which showed a car akin to Kohberger's successful nan King Road area respective times earlier nan 4 University of Idaho students were killed.

The section besides claimed that FBI cellphone building information showed that Kohberger's telephone pinged astir a twelve times adjacent a building that provides sum to nan area wrong 100 feet of 1122 King Road, wherever nan 4 University of Idaho students were killed. The telephone pinged adjacent nan building starting successful July 2022 and continued done mid-August 2022.

IDAHO MURDER SUSPECT'S LAWYERS DEMAND TRIAL POSTPONEMENT OVER 'PREJUDICIAL' TV SPECIAL

Bryan Kohberger enters nan courtroom for his arraignment proceeding successful Latah County District Court, May 22, 2023, successful Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of sidesplitting 4 University of Idaho students successful November 2022. (Zach Wilkinson-Pool/Getty Images)

In a May 15 order, Judge Steven Hippler said nan gag bid was "likely" violated by personification progressive successful nan case, saying it's imaginable rule enforcement was nan root of nan leak. He ordered anyone who has worked for nan defense squad aliases investigation to clasp each communications and information relating to nan case.

Hippler said nan pursuing pieces of grounds were revealed during nan episode:

• Surveillance footage of "Suspect Vehicle One"
• AT&T records for Kohberger
• Content of Kohberger's cellphone
• Photographs and accusation associated pinch Kohberger's Amazon account

"Such violations not only undermine nan norm of law, perchance by persons charged pinch upholding it, but besides importantly impede nan expertise to spot an impartial assemblage and will apt substantially summation nan costs to beryllium borne by nan taxpayers of Latah County to prosecute this lawsuit by extending nan clip it will return to spot a assemblage and perchance requiring lengthy play of juror sequestration," Hippler wrote.

Tara Jalali Malek, an Idaho-based lawyer and erstwhile adjunct United States attorney, told Fox News Digital that Hippler could clasp nan prosecution aliases defense squad accountable if it's recovered nan leak came from them.

BRYAN KOHBERGER CASE LEAK COULD LEAD TO EXCLUDED EVIDENCE, IDAHO ATTORNEY WARNS

Bryan Kohberger is escorted into a courtroom to look astatine a proceeding successful Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, successful Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

"Violation of a court's bid is sanctionable," Malek said. "It could beryllium contempt of court, and contempt tin beryllium civilian contempt aliases it could beryllium criminal contempt. That is going to beryllium wholly abstracted from what happens yet successful nan trial, but things that you spot pinch contempt, location could beryllium a fine. There could beryllium a nationalist reprimand, for instance. So there's a assortment of things that nan tribunal could perchance do aliases not do if it's recovered that personification violated that gag order."

"Anyone who violated nan order, nary matter what side, would beryllium held successful contempt," she added.

However, Malek said she doesn't deliberation nan leak will consequence successful nan proceedings being delayed, arsenic Kohberger's defense team has requested.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Madison Mogen, apical left, smiles connected nan shoulders of her champion friend, Kaylee Goncalves, arsenic they airs pinch Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and 2 different housemates successful Goncalves' last Instagram post, shared nan time earlier nan 4 students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

"I would beryllium hard-pressed to deliberation that nan full proceedings would extremity arsenic a consequence of this," she said. "I deliberation what is astir likely, successful my opinion, to hap is that nan proceedings will move forward. This will beryllium connected a abstracted way arsenic acold arsenic nan investigation goes and figuring retired who leaked nan information, which broadside was it from. And past ultimately, who else, if anybody was progressive aliases had knowledge of it, aliases for illustration I said, it was conscionable a rogue character present that, you know, needs to beryllium personally sanctioned successful immoderate way."

As nan proceedings is scheduled to statesman connected Aug. 11, different astonishment witnesser has emerged.

A female claiming to beryllium a DoorDash driver says she dropped disconnected nutrient for Xana Kernodle conscionable minutes earlier Kohberger allegedly killed nan assemblage student. The purported driver came to ray aft a YouTube account, Officer Axon, obtained assemblage camera video that featured nan woman.

"I person to attest successful a large execution lawsuit here... because I'm nan DoorDash driver, truthful yeah," she says in nan video. 

The serviceman past asked what lawsuit she was going to attest in.

"The execution lawsuit pinch nan assemblage girls," she said. "I'm nan DoorDash driver. I saw Bryan there. I parked correct adjacent to him."