A coalition of media organizations and the father of a murder victim are set to come to an Idaho court on Friday with the same goal in mind: challenging a gag order.Two separate hearings are scheduled in the criminal case against Bryan Kohberger, the criminology graduate student at Washington State University accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home. A not guilty plea has been entered on his behalf, and the trial is set for October.The brutality of the killings and the lack of clarity on his connections to the group of friends have made it one of the highest-profile cases in U.S. news.Yet due to a wide-ranging gag order, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and attorneys for victims' families and witnesses are prohibited from saying anything publicly, aside from what is already in the public record.Gag orders are a common occurrence in high-profile cases, such as the man accused of carrying out January's mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, or the involuntary manslaughter trial of the parents of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley.In Idaho on Friday, an attorney for the family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four victims, will argue to amend the order at a hearing at 10:30 a.m. local time, saying it has restricted their free speech rights. Afterward, a coalition of media organizations also will argue to vacate the order, calling it "vague, overbroad, unduly restrictive, and not narrowly drawn," according to court documents.The dual hearings have put a renewed focus on the gag order, the colorful term for what's technically known as a "nondissemination order."At its most basic level, the gag order sets restrictions on what information can be released to the public and what certain people involved in the case can say. The idea is to balance the First Amendment right to free speech with the Sixth Amendment right for a defendant to receive a fair trial, said University of Idaho assistant professor of law Samuel Newton. The concern is that too much commentary and publicity about a case can create jurors who have already made up their minds."What you're worried about is tainting the whole (jury) pool," Newton said.The gag order is just one of a number of strategies judges can take to eliminate jury bias. They can also move the trial to another venue, create a jury questionnaire or sequester the jury during the trial.But when does restricting speech in a case with such high public interest go too far? What are the limits?What the gag order saysThe arrest warrant and criminal affidavit for Kohberger were issued on December 29, 2022, and within a week the prosecution and defense jointly agreed to a gag order.The Jan. 3 order states that "investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and agents of the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements, written or oral, concerning this case, other than quotation from or reference to, without comment, the public records of the case," Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall wrote.The order specifically forbade commentary on evidence of occurrences or transactions, the character or criminal record of a party, opinions about the merits of the case and "the existence or contents of any confession, admission, or statement given by the defendant."An amended nondissemination order issued on January 18 then expanded the gag order. The amended order stated the restrictions applied not just to the prosecution and defense but to "any attorney representing a witness, victim, or victim's family." Further, the order prohibited any statements on the character or criminal record of "a party, victim, or witness, or the identity of a witness, or the expected testimony of a party, victim, or witness.""There is a balance between protecting the right to a fair trial for all parties involved and the right to free expression as afforded under both the United States and Idaho Constitution," the amended order explained. "To preserve the right to a fair trial some curtailment of the dissemination of information in this case is necessary and authorized under the law."For the Goncalves family, that amended order went too far. The family's attorney Shanon Gray filed a motion challenging it, saying there should not be any restrictions on what he can say on behalf of the Goncalves family."He's not voicing his own opinion, he's voicing the family's opinion," Steve Goncalves, Kaylee's father, told CNN on May 23. "What's the point of having a lawyer if a judge can just say your lawyer can't speak?"Separately, a coalition of media organizations petitioned the district court to vacate the gag order for other reasons. In a May 1 filing, the coalition, referred to as "Associated Press, et al," said the gag order was too expansive and argued the court did not provide any evidence that media coverage presents a risk to Kohberger's right to a fair trial."The Gag Order, which is based on the Parties' stipulation, rests merely on an assumption that press coverage is bad. The U.S. Constitution and the Idaho Constitution demand more."The filing specifically noted several instances of the gag order's impact on journalists. For example, officials have cited the gag order in declining to release tapes of 911 calls and public records requests, the filing states.The media coalition had initially asked the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn the gag order. While the court agreed the order restricted freedom of the press, it declined to vacate the order, saying the state supreme court was not the proper venue.Kohberger's defense attorneys pushed back in motions arguing that courts have broader powers to limit the speech of lawyers and that the media attention, specifically noting a recent "Dateline NBC" special, threatens his right to a fair trial."The upshot of this and similar media stories is a constant feedback loop of people crying out for Mr. Kohberger's blood," defense attorneys wrote.Similarly, state prosecutors have argued against amending the nondissemination order, stating that the restrictions on attorney statements is "not vague, overbroad or unduly restrictive."Gag orders used in other casesGag orders have similarly been used in other high-profile mass killings that garnered significant public attention.One such case is the trial of Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley. His parents have pleaded not guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter for what prosecutors say was their "gross negligence" in purchasing the gun and ignoring their son's warning signs.Prosecutors have publicly criticized the couple repeatedly, and the couple's arrest after a manhunt was captured on CNN video. Last year, the defense filed a motion to restrict pretrial publicity, but Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald pushed back, saying their request was "consistent with the conduct that brings them before this Court – they are concerned only about themselves."After a series of back-and-forth filings, the court issued an order and an amended order restricting publicity about the case."It is hereby ordered that, to protect the rights of the accused as well as the People to a fair trial, none of the parties, directly or through their agents, will engage in pretrial publicity by making public statements about the case to the media," Judge Cheryl Matthews wrote on July 14, 2022, in the amended order.Similarly, the suspect in the January mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, which left seven people dead, asked for and was granted a gag order in his case, according to CNN affiliate KGO. That ruling prohibits any of the parties from talking about the case outside of court.Chunli Zhao, the shooting suspect, has pleaded not guilty.

Three days after the arrest of a suspect in the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students, authorities have yet to release key details in the case, from whether the suspect knew the victims to what his alleged motive might have been and what finally prompted his arrest.The arrest of Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, came almost seven weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found dead Nov. 13 in an off-campus home.The killings shook the college town of Moscow, Idaho, which hadn't seen a murder in seven years, as some in the community grew frustrated with the limited information authorities shared as their investigation developed.That was partly due to state law, which limits what information authorities can release before the suspect makes an initial appearance in court, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday, the day authorities announced Kohberger's arrest in his home state of Pennsylvania.And the probable cause affidavit — the legal document used to justify Kohberger's arrest and obtain a warrant — remains sealed until he is returned to Idaho, where he faces four counts of first-degree murder as well as a felony burglary charge, per Latah County, Idaho, prosecutors.That document, "will tell us an awful lot," said CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. "It will speak to the issue of probable cause -- why is he under arrest, what is the justification for holding him and for going after him from a prosecution perspective."Kohberger is due in court Tuesday, when his attorney has indicated the suspect would waive extradition. The chief public defender for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, expected Kohberger to be returned to Idaho within 72 hours of Tuesday's hearing, the attorney has said.Kohberger's parents and two sisters plan to attend Tuesday's hearing, public defender Jason LaBar told CNN Monday. They will not be permitted to visit him while they're there.Until then, here are a few of the key details that remain unknown.The suspect's relationship to the victimsAuthorities have not said publicly whether Kohberger knew any of the victims, who all were found dead hours after a Saturday night out: Chapin and Kernodle had attended a party on campus earlier that night, police have said, while Mogen and Goncalves went to a downtown bar before ordering food at a late-night food truck.Kohberger lived in the area, Fry indicated Friday: He was a Ph.D. student in the criminal justice program at Washington State University's campus in Pullman, about a 15-minute drive west of Moscow.Kohberger was a graduate student at the school, Washington State University confirmed in a statement last week, adding the school's police department helped Idaho law enforcement execute search warrants at Kohberger's campus apartment and his office.There also was law enforcement activity Friday at a Pullman apartment complex where graduate students live, a CNN team observed.Meanwhile, DNA played a role in the investigation, sources have indicated to CNN.Investigators focused on Kohberger as a suspect, in part, after his DNA was matched to genetic material recovered at the home where the students were slain, two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation have said.Genetic genealogy techniques were used to connect Kohberger to unidentified DNA evidence, a source with knowledge of the case told CNN. The DNA was run through a public database to find potential family member matches, and subsequent investigative work by law enforcement led to his identification as the suspect, the source said.Information about Kohberger's DNA and any prior relationship with the victims are both key pieces of evidence, Jackson told CNN on Monday."No. 1: I'm looking for DNA," he said. "Was his DNA (in the residence)? ... Is there any reason to explain the DNA, is there a basis to know or understand why he would be there?""Which leads me to No. 2," Jackson said: "Is there any pre-existing relationship? Did he know them? If so, how?"The suspect's alleged motiveInvestigators also have yet to give any indication of why Kohberger allegedly carried out the stabbings.In the days since his arrest, there has been a heavy focus Kohberger's study of criminal justice and criminology as a Washington State University student — a detail a former senior FBI profiler called "very interesting.""We have had other cases where offenders have been in areas of study that more or less prepare them to commit a crime," Mary Ellen O'Toole told CNN on Sunday. If he is guilty, Kohberger's "area of study is not a result of cause and effect," she stressed, noting studying the criminal mind did not "cause him to do this.""He's interested in this, but the ideation of committing a violent crime had to already be there in order to motivate him to commit the crime," O'Toole said. "So, this was kind of a conduit to explore what he was already interested in doing."Kohberger was previously an undergraduate and graduate student at DeSales University, a Catholic university in Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the school. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020 and this year completed his "graduate studies for the Master of Arts in criminal justice program," according to a university spokesperson.In a post removed from Reddit after his arrest was announced, a student investigator associated with a DeSales University study named Bryan Kohberger sought participation in a research project "to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.""In particular," it read, "this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience."Last month, Kohberger finished his first semester as a Ph.D. student at Washington State University, the school confirmed.How the suspect stayed free for 7 weeksIt's also unclear why Kohberger wasn't arrested until more than six weeks after the victims were found dead. Fry would not reveal Saturday when Kohberger came onto law enforcement's radar, saying details in the case would be released in time.Kohberger went home to Pennsylvania for the holidays, LaBar told CNN on Saturday, adding the suspect and his father — who accompanied his son on the cross-country drive — arrived around Dec. 17.A white Hyundai Elantra authorities had been looking for in connection with the killings was found at Kohberger's parents' house, LaBar confirmed.The suspect drove the car to his parents' house, according to another law enforcement source, who told CNN, "Sometime right before Christmas we were zeroing in on him being in or going to Pennsylvania."An FBI surveillance team from the Philadelphia field office had been tracking him for four days in the area where he was arrested, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.While Kohberger was being watched, investigators from the Moscow Police Department, the Idaho State Police homicide bureau and the FBI worked with prosecutors to develop sufficient probable cause to get the warrant. Once the arrest warrant was issued, the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI made the arrest.Authorities continue to ask the public for information. Within an hour of announcing the arrest, Fry told CNN, authorities got roughly 400 calls."We want information on that individual," Fry said Saturday. "We want that updated information so that we can start building that picture now. Every tip matters."

Three days after the arrest of a suspect in the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students, authorities have yet to release key details in the case, from whether the suspect knew the victims to what his alleged motive might have been and what finally prompted his arrest.

The arrest of Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, came almost seven weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found dead Nov. 13 in an off-campus home.

The killings shook the college town of Moscow, Idaho, which hadn't seen a murder in seven years, as some in the community grew frustrated with the limited information authorities shared as their investigation developed.

That was partly due to state law, which limits what information authorities can release before the suspect makes an initial appearance in court, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday, the day authorities announced Kohberger's arrest in his home state of Pennsylvania.

And the probable cause affidavit — the legal document used to justify Kohberger's arrest and obtain a warrant — remains sealed until he is returned to Idaho, where he faces four counts of first-degree murder as well as a felony burglary charge, per Latah County, Idaho, prosecutors.

That document, "will tell us an awful lot," said CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. "It will speak to the issue of probable cause -- why is he under arrest, what is the justification for holding him and for going after him from a prosecution perspective."

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Kohberger is due in court Tuesday, when his attorney has indicated the suspect would waive extradition. The chief public defender for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, expected Kohberger to be returned to Idaho within 72 hours of Tuesday's hearing, the attorney has said.

Kohberger's parents and two sisters plan to attend Tuesday's hearing, public defender Jason LaBar told CNN Monday. They will not be permitted to visit him while they're there.

Until then, here are a few of the key details that remain unknown.

The suspect's relationship to the victims

Authorities have not said publicly whether Kohberger knew any of the victims, who all were found dead hours after a Saturday night out: Chapin and Kernodle had attended a party on campus earlier that night, police have said, while Mogen and Goncalves went to a downtown bar before ordering food at a late-night food truck.

Kohberger lived in the area, Fry indicated Friday: He was a Ph.D. student in the criminal justice program at Washington State University's campus in Pullman, about a 15-minute drive west of Moscow.

Kohberger was a graduate student at the school, Washington State University confirmed in a statement last week, adding the school's police department helped Idaho law enforcement execute search warrants at Kohberger's campus apartment and his office.

Obtained by CNN

There also was law enforcement activity Friday at a Pullman apartment complex where graduate students live, a CNN team observed.

Meanwhile, DNA played a role in the investigation, sources have indicated to CNN.

Investigators focused on Kohberger as a suspect, in part, after his DNA was matched to genetic material recovered at the home where the students were slain, two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation have said.

Genetic genealogy techniques were used to connect Kohberger to unidentified DNA evidence, a source with knowledge of the case told CNN. The DNA was run through a public database to find potential family member matches, and subsequent investigative work by law enforcement led to his identification as the suspect, the source said.

Information about Kohberger's DNA and any prior relationship with the victims are both key pieces of evidence, Jackson told CNN on Monday.

"No. 1: I'm looking for DNA," he said. "Was his DNA (in the residence)? ... Is there any reason to explain the DNA, is there a basis to know or understand why he would be there?"

"Which leads me to No. 2," Jackson said: "Is there any pre-existing relationship? Did he know them? If so, how?"

The suspect's alleged motive

Investigators also have yet to give any indication of why Kohberger allegedly carried out the stabbings.

In the days since his arrest, there has been a heavy focus Kohberger's study of criminal justice and criminology as a Washington State University student — a detail a former senior FBI profiler called "very interesting."

"We have had other cases where offenders have been in areas of study that more or less prepare them to commit a crime," Mary Ellen O'Toole told CNN on Sunday. If he is guilty, Kohberger's "area of study is not a result of cause and effect," she stressed, noting studying the criminal mind did not "cause him to do this."

"He's interested in this, but the ideation of committing a violent crime had to already be there in order to motivate him to commit the crime," O'Toole said. "So, this was kind of a conduit to explore what he was already interested in doing."

Kohberger was previously an undergraduate and graduate student at DeSales University, a Catholic university in Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the school. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020 and this year completed his "graduate studies for the Master of Arts in criminal justice program," according to a university spokesperson.

In a post removed from Reddit after his arrest was announced, a student investigator associated with a DeSales University study named Bryan Kohberger sought participation in a research project "to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime."

"In particular," it read, "this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience."

Last month, Kohberger finished his first semester as a Ph.D. student at Washington State University, the school confirmed.

How the suspect stayed free for 7 weeks

It's also unclear why Kohberger wasn't arrested until more than six weeks after the victims were found dead. Fry would not reveal Saturday when Kohberger came onto law enforcement's radar, saying details in the case would be released in time.

Kohberger went home to Pennsylvania for the holidays, LaBar told CNN on Saturday, adding the suspect and his father — who accompanied his son on the cross-country drive — arrived around Dec. 17.

A white Hyundai Elantra authorities had been looking for in connection with the killings was found at Kohberger's parents' house, LaBar confirmed.

The suspect drove the car to his parents' house, according to another law enforcement source, who told CNN, "Sometime right before Christmas we were zeroing in on him being in or going to Pennsylvania."

An FBI surveillance team from the Philadelphia field office had been tracking him for four days in the area where he was arrested, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

While Kohberger was being watched, investigators from the Moscow Police Department, the Idaho State Police homicide bureau and the FBI worked with prosecutors to develop sufficient probable cause to get the warrant. Once the arrest warrant was issued, the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI made the arrest.

Authorities continue to ask the public for information. Within an hour of announcing the arrest, Fry told CNN, authorities got roughly 400 calls.

"We want information on that individual," Fry said Saturday. "We want that updated information so that we can start building that picture now. Every tip matters."

At least four people have been killed in a small town in south Georgia, including at a fast food restaurant, according to Georgia officials. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Jamy Steinberg said that there is more than one crime scene, including one at a McDonald's restaurant, in the town of Moultrie. A coroner confirmed at least four have died.Moultrie Police Chief Sean Ladson told The Moultrie Observer there is no immediate threat to the public.It's unclear how the deaths are connected. Police swarmed the restaurant on Thursday morning, shutting down traffic on one the main streets in the south Georgia town of 15,000.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the Moultrie Police Department department requested its assistance."We are working to learn more information and track down some additional witnesses," Steinberg said.Moultrie is about 60 miles northeast of Tallahassee, Florida.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.