Murder In Moscow: The Order To Preserve Crime Scene Evidence In Moscow

On December 30, 2022, the court granted Bryan Kohberger’s request to preserve the crime scene at 1122 King Road and the physical evidence collected during the investigation. The order required the house, surrounding property, outbuildings, trailers, vehicles and curtilage to remain preserved, with the residence locked and crime-scene tape left in place. The court initially ordered that the scene remain preserved through February 1, 2023, unless another order changed that deadline. Prosecutors did not object to the defense request, allowing Kohberger’s attorneys and experts time to inspect and document the house before it was eventually altered and later demolished.

The order went beyond preserving the house itself. It required the state to retain all samples and evidence collected or generated during the investigation for the defense, specifically including bodily fluids, blood, tissue, notes, slides, photographs and other relevant material. The purpose was to ensure that evidence potentially important to Kohberger’s defense would not be destroyed, consumed or otherwise become unavailable before his lawyers had the opportunity to examine it. The order became particularly important because defense experts later conducted multiple visits to the King Road residence, photographing and creating detailed 3D laser scans of the interior before the house was ultimately demolished.


to contact me:

[email protected]