Surviving Roommate in Idaho Murders Set to Talk with Bryan Kohberger’s Lawyers

One of the two surviving roommates in the Idaho Murders case has agreed to meet with suspect Bryan Kohberger’s lawyers. Bethany Funke, 21, will meet with Kohberger’s defense counsel in Reno, Nevada. No date has yet been given for the meeting, per a court filing obtained by CBS News.

Bethany Funke Was Subpoenaed to Appear at a Preliminary Hearing for Idaho Murder Suspect

Funke and Dylan Mortensen were living on the first floor of the off-campus King House where four of their roommates were brutally stabbed to death on November 13, 2022. Madison Mogen (21), Kaylee Goncalves (21), Xana Kernodle (20), and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin (20), were gruesomely murdered after their house was stalked and surveilled by the accomplice, according to prosecutors.

An extensive digital footprint and DNA samples led authorities to Bryan Kohberger, who was a PhD student of criminology at the University of Washington. He was arrested on December 30 at his family’s home in Pennsylvania and is being held without bail.

How Bethany Funke plays into this is not yet clear. Kohberger’s attorneys filed a subpoena for her to appear at a scheduled June 28 preliminary hearing. The suspect’s hearings begin on June 26 and are expected to last several days. His attorneys have claimed that Funke has information that may prove his innocence.

Bryan Kohberger’s Attorneys Claim Funke Has Information Proving His Innocence

The affidavit, signed by Richard Bitonti, said that Funke had “information material to the charges against Mr. Kohberger; portions of information Ms. Funke has is exculpatory to the defendant.”

The affidavit also claimed that Funke was “interviewed by police on several occasions” and that she “disclosed things she heard and things she saw.”

According to CBS, Funke told investigators in an unsealed police report that the victims were at home by 2 a.m. and asleep by 4 a.m. How that information is exculpatory is a mystery at this point, or whether Funke may know something else, is unclear.

Funke Filed a Motion to Quash the Subpoena, Will Meet With His Attorneys in Reno Instead

Funke’s attorneys responded to the subpoena by filing a motion to quash it. The motion was filed in Washoe County, Nevada, last week. It claimed there was no authority for “an Idaho criminal defendant to summon a Nevada witness to Idaho for a preliminary hearing.”

Additionally, Funke’s attorneys argued that the claim that she had “exculpatory information” was made “without support” or “further information or detail pertaining to the substance of the testimony.”

Lastly, Funke’s motion pointed out that the preliminary hearing should not become a “mini-trial,” as its purpose is simply to establish probably cause.

The court filing, dated Wednesday, April 26, establishes an agreement for Bethany Funke to meet Kohberger’s attorneys in Reno, Nevada.

It seems that Funke’s motion was successful in part as she no longer has to appear at the preliminary hearing. However, she’s still going to have to have an uncomfortable meeting sometime in the near future.

If found guilty of all four counts of first-degree murder, Bryan Kohberger faces life in prison or the death penalty.

Read More: Bryan Kohberger’s Sisters Reportedly Fired From Jobs After His Arrest