If you’ve been following the University of Idaho murder case, you’ve probably already seen the newly released Bryan Kohberger selfie.
The pic was apparently taken just a few hours after the brutal murders of four students — Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. And if you already are sold based on the evidence that Kohberger is the killer, well… JFC it’s a creepy image. Like a kind of “Look at me, I did it” thing.
Of course, that’s not meant to be the goal of presenting the photo in court. Prosecutors say they’re trying to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bryan fits the description of the home intruder. Dylan Mortensen, one of the surviving roommates, told police she saw a man in a mask leaving the Moscow, Idaho house in which all the girls lived (and Xana’s boyfriend Ethan was sleeping over). She couldn’t describe much because of the mask, but she did say he had “bushy eyebrows.”
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Latah County Deputy Prosecutor Ashley Jennings wrote in court filings revealed on Wednesday that they plan to present to photo to show him that very night — and let the jury see whether his eyebrows could be described as bushy at that exact time, since they could have been groomed differently in pics in other months, or in court:
“Whether or not Bryan Kohberger can be described as having ‘bushy eyebrows’ is a factual determination to be decided by the jury.”
OK, so that’s the whole idea behind showing the photo. NOT the fact he looks creepy as hell.
However… Just as we figured, the defense clearly feels the ick factor of the photo is going to be prejudicial. They’re using the pic as leverage to argue for the importance of their autism angle.
See, they recently had medical experts diagnose Kohberger with autism, and they’ve already argued for the use of this diagnosis as a reason not to let their client be subject to the death penalty. Now they’re basically saying they need the autism to counter the creepiness of the photo. (How incredibly insulting to the autism community, as if creepiness just comes with the diagnosis. Um, no.)
Defense attorney Elisa Massoth wrote in a filing that the jury will be judging Kohberger’s behavior and expressions. For instance the fact he “has a piercing stare” and a “flat affect” — showing no emotion, like in the selfie. They argue this is all “highly consistent” with autism, that his “facial expressions do not reflect what he is feeling.” They say they have to be able to present his diagnosis because “without explanation others may misinterpret and misidentify Mr. Kohberger’s behaviors and cast them in a more sinister light.”
Like, you know, seeing that pic snapped right after the killings and think, YEP THAT’S A COLD-BLOODED KILLER.
The defense will also argue that Kohberger has OCD — and that’s why he was wearing gloves and cleaning everything after the murders. NOT because he was trying to avoid leaving evidence, but “to avoid germs.”
The filing also listed a “developmental coordination disorder” which they believe will prove he didn’t have the coordination to commit the murders. They say it “impacts his fine motor dexterity and visual motor function” — making it impossible for him to have committed these four violent murders in the time given.
We don’t know what this will accomplish in the long run, whether it will take the edge off his general creepy vibe and even the stories of him making female students at his own college uncomfortable. But the autism diagnosis doesn’t change the facts, like the placement of his car near the scene, despite it being quite a ways from his apartment very late at night, the fact he followed the victims on social media despite not knowing them, his DNA on a knife sheath left at the scene… We’ll have to see when the trial finally starts.
For now, the defensive move of hiding all manner of scary actions under this umbrella of autism remains pretty controversial. Think of all the autistic people out there who don’t want to have their demeanor conflated with the disorders of spree and serial killers! In fact, plenty of autistic people are extremely joyful and super warm, not “cold” and “blank”…
What do YOU think of what the defense is doing, Perezcious readers??
[Image via Latah County Prosecutor’s Office/ Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram.]
The post Bryan Kohberger Defense KNOWS How Bad The Selfie Looks! They Want To Tell Jury His 'Piercing Stare' Is Because Of His Autism! appeared first on Perez Hilton.
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