The mother of one of four University of Idaho college students killed in a November stabbing ambush says she felt “heartbroken” and “betrayed” by her former defense attorney, who withdrew from her case to defend the alleged killer. , according to a new interview. .
Anne Taylor, the Kootenai County public defender representing Idaho student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger had until recently represented Cara Kernodle, the mother of slain student Xana Kernodle, court records show.
Cara Kernodle, who faces felony drug charges, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that she learned of Taylor’s decision via Reddit on Wednesday, 20 days after court records show the attorney notified the court that He was withdrawing to avoid a conflict of interest.
Kohberger is accused of breaking into the 20-year-old daughter’s home on November 13 and killing her, her boyfriend and two housemates with a knife.
IDAHO MURDERS: BRYAN KOHBERGER’S LAWYER WITHDRAWN FROM REPRESENTING VICTIM’S MOTHER
A split photo showing the crime scene and victims, including University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20; Xana Kernodle, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital/ Instagram/ @xanakernodle/ @kayleegoncalves))
“I’m heartbroken that I trusted her,” Kernodle said in a televised interview Wednesday night. “She pretended that she wanted to help me. And finding out that, that she’s representing him, I can’t even express how betrayed I feel.”
He also said that he had given Taylor “power of attorney.”
WATCH: Moscow police body cam shows Xana Kernodle speaking to officers during noise complaint response
“I don’t understand how he could do this,” he said. “I don’t understand what’s happening now.”
IDAHO MURDER: VETERAN’S DEFENSE LAWYER PRESENTS CASE BRYAN KOHBERGER’S TEAM COULD MAKE, ‘HOLES’ IN SWORN STATEMENT
Kernodle’s new attorney, Chris Schwartz, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Bryan Kohberger appears in court with Kootenai County Public Defender Anne Taylor on January 12, 2023.
(SWIMMING POOL)
Taylor was appointed Kohberger’s interim defense attorney shortly after his December 30 arrest, becoming his official public defender in his first Latah County courthouse appearance after he waived extradition in Pennsylvania and returned to Idaho. .
His office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Defense attorney Anne Taylor joins investigators to visit a crime scene on King Road on January 3, 2023. The home was the scene of a quadruple homicide in November of last year, all of the victims were University of Idaho students. . Taylor will defend Bryan Kohberger, charged with the murder.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Police and the FBI raided her parents’ home in the Poconos Mountains, where they said they recovered DNA from a trash can that matched DNA found on a knife sheath near the bodies of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, two 21 years old. housemates of two years.
The fourth victim was 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, who was out with Kernodle and spending the night.
University of Idaho victims Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.
(Instagram: @ethanchapin4)
Two other housemates were uninjured, including one who police say witnessed a masked man with “bush eyebrows” walk out a sliding door after the stabbings. Goncalves’ dog also survived the attack, and police later said that found possible animal hair while serving a search warrant at Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman, Washington, less than 10 miles from the crime scene.
Kohberger, a Washington State University doctoral student, had been stalking the King Road home for weeks, according to a report. affidavit of probable cause. His cell phone rang near the house at least a dozen times before the murders and once the next morning.
Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, along with the two other roommates of the women in Kaylee Goncalves’ latest Instagram post, shared the day before the murders.
(@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
kohberger faces four counts of first degree murder and one felony count of robbery. He is being held without bail and could face the death penalty.
Taylor revealed in a January 12 appearance that his client intends to contest the evidence against him, but waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing.
Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall scheduled the proceedings for the last week of June and they are expected to last four to five days.
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Prosecutors could speed up the timetable by seeking a grand jury indictment rather than wait until the preliminary hearing to prove probable cause, experts told Fox News Digital.
the court has issued a gag order prohibiting lawyers and investigators from commenting on the case.
