Surviving Idaho Murder Roommate Bethany Funke Resists Subpoena to Testify in Defense of Bryan Kohberger

Bethany Funke, one of the two roommates who survived the brutal attack that claimed the lives of four college students, is resisting a subpoena that would force her to testify at the trial of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger as part of his defense.

Kohberger was the only suspect in the November 13 killings of the four University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle inside their off-campus home in Moscow City.

New York Post reported that Bethany Funke filed a motion on Friday in a Washoe County district court in Nevada in an attempt to fight off the subpoena calling her to testify in Kohberger's trial. The suspect's lawyers claimed it was necessary to subpoena her to be a witness.

In an affidavit, Kohberger's lawyer, Richard Bitonti, noted that the 21-year-old survivor "has information material to the charges against Mr. Kohberger; portions of information Ms. Funke has is exculpatory to the defendant."

The lawyer added that Funke's "information is unique to her experiences and cannot be provided by another witness." The judge in Latah County, Idaho, agreed and required Funke to attend Kohberger's preliminary hearing in June as she "may be a material witness for the defendant in the case."

However, Funke, who was from Nevada, was fighting back and denied the claims of Kohberger's lawyer that she had any information that could put the Idaho murder suspect in the clear.

As they requested to quash the subpoena, Funke's lawyers said the defense team's claims were not backed with any supporting evidence. They also argued that Kohberger's attorneys do not have the authority to call a Nevada witness to Idaho for a preliminary hearing.

According to Bethany Funke's lawyer, Kelli Anne Viloria, Kohberger's lawyers are trying to turn the preliminary hearing into a "mini trial" of its own, The Daily Beast reported.

Trial of Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger

A source claimed earlier in April that Bryan Kohberger may have held onto an ID belonging to one of the four victims. An unsealed search warrant suggested that police found unspecified IDs in the glovebox of the 28-year-old alleged Idaho murder suspect.

A retired FBI agent, Jennifer Coffindaffer, noted in a New York Post report that it was a big deal, describing it as a "smoking license."

The speculations that Kohberger was keeping identification of someone from the victims came out after news broke that police were investigating whether he contacted one of the victims before the murders.

Former FBI investigator Pete Yachmetz noted that stabbing the victims may have meant an "uncontrollable rage and extreme anger." Kohberger has yet to enter his plea to four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary.

Bryan Kohberger as Idaho Murder Suspect

Court documents released in March showed that police found some items at the family home of Bryan Kohberger, including face masks, a knife, and a gun.

BBC News reported that other items found by investigators include a Smith and Wesson pocket knife, a cell phone, and black gloves. During their search, investigators also found black masks, laptops, and a .40-calibre Glock 22 pistol.

A criminal justice professor noted that a gun was not used in the Idaho murders but can be used as evidence, such as DNA.

Kohberger was a Ph.D. student in criminal justice at Washington State University, just a few miles from Moscow. He was arrested in December and was held without bail in the Latah County Jail. Kohberger's preliminary hearing is set to start on June 26.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Idaho Murders: Surviving Roommate Pushes Against Testifying in Bryan Kohberger Case - From Law&Crime Network