MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Bryan Kohberger, the man charged in the deaths of four University of Idaho students in late 2022, was out for a drive the night they were killed, his attorneys said in a new court filing that lays out more details of the alibi defense he intends to use at his trial.
Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were stabbed to death at a rental home near the university campus in Moscow, Idaho, early on Nov. 13, 2022.
Kohberger, who was then a criminal justice student at Washington State University in nearby Pullman, Washington, has been charged with four counts of murder. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
Authorities have said that cellphone data or surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims' neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings; that he traveled in the region that night, returning to Pullman along a roundabout route; and that his DNA was found at the crime scene.
His phone, however, was not communicating with his cellphone provider during about a two-hour period when the attacks occurred — consistent with him having turned it off to avoid being placed at the murder scene, police said.
Anne Taylor, Kohberger's public defender, wrote in a court filing late Wednesday that Kohberger was an avid runner and hiker who frequently went out for drives late at night.
Under Idaho law, defendants may be required to notify prosecutors in advance of any alibi defense. In a filing last August, Taylor wrote that Kohberger's alibi was that he was out driving alone that night, as he often did. Wednesday's document offered more details, including at least one of his destinations — Wawawai Park, along the Snake River southwest of Pullman — in the opposite direction from Moscow.
“Mr. Kohberger was out driving in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022; as he often did to hike and run and/or see the moon and stars,” Taylor wrote. “He drove throughout the area south of Pullman, Washington, west of Moscow, Idaho including Wawawai Park.”
The filing also detailed that the defense intends to offer the testimony of an expert in cellphone and cell tower data to support the notion that Kohberger did not travel east along the main road connecting Pullman and Moscow that night, Taylor wrote.
Police arrested Kohberger, 29, more than six weeks after the killings, locating him at his parents' home in eastern Pennsylvania, where he had gone during winter break.
No date has been set for the trial.
FILE - Bryan Kohberger, right, is escorted into a courtroom for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger, the man charged in the deaths of four University of Idaho students in late 2022, was out for a drive the night they were killed, his attorneys said in a new court filing Wednesday, April 17, 2024, that lays out more details of the alibi defense he intends to use at his trial. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File)
DoorDash reported higher-than-expected revenue in the first quarter as strong growth in U.S. grocery orders helped make up for slowing restaurant demand.
But the company's shares fell more than 15% in after-hours trading Wednesday as investors appeared concerned about rising costs.
DoorDash said its net loss narrowed to $23 million in the first quarter, compared to a loss of $161 million in the same period a year ago. The loss, of 6 cents per share, was higher than the 3-cent loss Wall Street had forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
DoorDash said it increased both marketing expenses and research costs during the quarter. The company, which laid off 1,250 people at the end of 2022, is also hiring again to improve its products, DoorDash Chief Financial Officer Ravi Inukonda said Wednesday during a conference call with investors.
“Our goal is not just to drive strong growth in 2024, but for many years to come,” Inukonda said.
DoorDash also said it expects pretax earnings between $325 million and $425 million in the second quarter. The midpoint of that range — $375 million — is less than the $394 million that analysts are forecasting. Inukonda said he expects pretax earnings to improve in the second half of this year.
The San Francisco-based delivery company said Wednesday its revenue rose 23% to $2.51 billion in the January-March period. That was higher than the $2.45 billion Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
DoorDash said its total orders climbed 21% to 620 million. That also surpassed expectations; analysts were forecasting 607 million orders.
The value of U.S. grocery orders doubled from the same period last year. DoorDash began offering grocery delivery in 2020 and continues to add grocery options. In March, Giant Eagle expanded the number of stores offering same-day DoorDash delivery in Pennsylvania and other states. In April, DoorDash added some West Coast grocers to its offerings, including Haggen and Vallarta Supermarkets.
DoorDash said U.S. restaurant order value also grew, but at a slightly slower pace than last year. DoorDash said its U.S. restaurant business remains healthy, and it saw record order frequency from users during the first quarter, but it's not growing as quickly as newer businesses like grocery.
Still, investors were clearly rattled this week by McDonald’s and Starbucks, which both reported lower store traffic in the most recent quarter as inflation-weary customers in the U.S. and other markets shift from dining out to eating at home.
“I do understand that there are some headwinds that certain merchants face when it comes to in-store traffic,” DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said. “But I think on the digital side, we tend to see pretty strong demand.”
DoorDash said new rules in New York and Seattle establishing minimum wage requirements for delivery drivers has increased prices for consumers, resulting in reduced sales. It estimated that the new rules will result in $110 million in lost sales annually for its merchants in New York and $40 million in lost sales in Seattle.
DoorDash absorbed some of those increased costs in the first quarter but expects those costs to decrease as the year progresses. The company said the rules had a minimal impact on its business, lowering total orders by less than 1% in the first quarter.
Xu said he doesn't expect similar regulations to pass in many other cities, either in the U.S. or abroad.
“I mean, think about the billions of dollars or tens of billions of dollars that you’re adding to the local economic GDP or the fact that you’re offering a service that consumers love and a place where anyone can really earn extra income on their own time,” Xu said. “Who wouldn’t want that? I think most governments think like that.”
FILE - The DoorDash app is shown on a smartphone on Feb. 27, 2020, in New York. DoorDash will reports earnings on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (AP Photo)
