Bryan Kohberger’s bid to dodge justice hit a wall, but he’s not out of tricks yet. The accused murderer of four University of Idaho students can’t pin the crime on others, yet his team still plans to poke holes in the police work, as the Daily Mail reports. It’s a classic defense move: when the evidence stacks high, muddy the waters.

On Nov. 13, 2022, a masked killer stabbed Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin to death in their off-campus Moscow, Idaho, home, a tragedy Judge Steven Hippler now oversees as Kohberger faces trial.

Kohberger, a criminology PhD grad, is accused of the brutal slayings and could face the death penalty if convicted in August 2025. The case, steeped in heartbreak, has gripped the nation with its grim details.

The murders unfolded in a quiet college town, leaving two victims on the second floor and two on the third. A surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, glimpsed a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” fleeing the scene. For six weeks, no arrests were made until Kohberger’s capture in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30, 2022.

DNA, circumstantial evidence mount

Prosecutors tied Kohberger to the crime through DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath found beside Madison Mogen’s body. Cell phone records place him near the victims’ home multiple times before the killings, and surveillance caught a white Hyundai Elantra, matching his car, speeding away. Amazon records even show he bought a knife and sheath like the murder weapon -- hardly a coincidence.

Kohberger’s defense tried to shift blame, pointing to four others: three who knew the victims and one caught on camera trailing a victim weeks earlier.

All four cooperated with police and were cleared of DNA matches. Judge Hippler called this theory “entirely irrelevant” and barred it from trial, a ruling that stings but doesn’t end the fight.

“Nothing links these individuals to the homicides,” Hippler declared, dismissing the defense’s claims as “wild speculation.”

He’s right -- throwing out random names without evidence is a desperate tactic, not a strategy. Yet the defense still has room to maneuver, and they’re not backing down.

Defense pivots to police scrutiny

In a sealed June 2025 hearing, Kohberger’s team pushed their alternate suspect theory, only to see it crumble. They admitted their evidence didn’t meet Idaho’s legal standard for introducing other perpetrators at the trial’s start. Hippler’s ruling keeps the focus on Kohberger, but he allowed one lifeline: cross-examining police on their investigation.

“The court did grant [the defense] some leeway on cross-examination,” said David Seltzer, a former prosecutor. This means Kohberger’s lawyers can grill detectives on why they didn’t chase other leads. It’s a subtle way to plant doubt without directly naming others -- a clever, if sneaky, play.

Seltzer added, “They could argue it during the cross-examination of the detectives to show that there were alternative suspects.” The defense will likely claim police botched the case, ignoring viable suspects. It’s a gamble, but with DNA and cell records against Kohberger, they’re grasping at straws.

Trial tactics, publicity woes

The defense also tried to delay the August 2025 trial, citing a Dateline episode that hinted at an evidence leak. They argued they needed more time to dig into Kohberger’s “life story,” but Hippler wasn’t swayed. Publicity is no excuse when justice for four students hangs in the balance.

Earlier, Kohberger’s team pushed to nix the death penalty, citing his autism diagnosis. That effort flopped, as did their bid to suppress the Amazon knife purchase records. These failures show a defense scrambling to counter a mountain of circumstantial evidence.

“It’s strictly based on DNA science,” Seltzer noted, warning that “juries don’t like DNA science. It’s boring.” He’s got a point -- juries crave drama, not lab reports. Kohberger’s fate may hinge on whether his lawyers can spin a compelling story.

Coin-flip case looms

Seltzer called the trial “a coin flip,” given the lack of a smoking gun. “There’s no smoking gun saying the defendant did this,” he said, noting the case rests on circumstantial evidence. But DNA, cell records, and a matching car aren’t exactly flimsy -- they’re a noose tightening around Kohberger.

The defense’s plan is clear: “show that the detectives did a terrible job,” per Seltzer. They’ll hammer police for not chasing every lead, hoping to sway jurors into reasonable doubt. It’s a long shot, but in a case this complex, long shots are all they’ve got.

Kohberger even took a selfie hours after the murders, a chilling detail that screams guilt to some. As August 2025 nears, the nation watches, wondering if justice will prevail or if a killer might slip through. This isn’t about woke agendas -- it’s about truth, and the truth looks grim for Kohberger.