An attorney representing accused U of I killer Bryan Kohberger criticized media coverage as "grotesque" and "twisted" as he asked a judge to keep a gag order in place.

Latah County Judge John Judge heard arguments about that order all day, starting with an attorney for the Goncalves family and ending with attorneys representing a coalition of media organizations, including 4 News Now.

That order has been in place since shortly after Kohberger's arrest in late December.

He could face the death penalty for the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle.

The judge said he would take all of the arguments into consideration and issue a ruling in writing at a later date.

The prosecution in the case also wants the order to stay in place to ensure a fair trial, but didn't go as far as to openly criticize the role of journalists.

"The media of 2023 is not a good place to go," defense attorney Jay Weston Logsdon said. "We're trying to resolve issues, not make them worse."

Lodgson said "the push [by the media] is to show in every possible way that the state has it right, this is their guy and the question is how long until we get him to the firing squad. It's grotesque."

Lodgson offered no specific examples in open court of how that has happened.

Attorneys for the media coalition argued that access to information makes it easier for journalists to educate and inform the community about not only the case, but about the judicial system overall.

Wendy J. Olson is representing the coalition of journalists and she said, in her experience, there are other ways to mitigate potential over exposure to the potential jury pool, including change of venue, jury questioning and simply the passage of time.

Olson has experienced in a highly-publicized death penalty trial.

She prosecuted serial killer Joseph Duncan in 2008.

Duncan kidnapped and killed members of a Coeur d'Alene family in a case that captivated Idaho and the nation in 2005.

By the time Duncan went on trial three years later, Olson said they had Idaho jurors who had never heard of the case.

Lodgson disagreed with the assertion that more access would lead to better credibility.

"If they spoke to us, they’ll pick and choose from our statement," Lodgson said. "They’ll continue to put on the same narrative that gets them clicks and makes them money.”

Attorneys also argued about whether cameras should be allowed in the courtroom for the trial and future hearings.

Journalists again argued that it allows the community to see the criminal justice system in action without filter.

The prosecution said they respect the judge's discretion in the case, but had concerns about the jury or witnesses being prejudiced by coverage during the trial.

The defense had concerns about how cameras have been used so far, specifically pointing out that Kohberger has been shown excessively and people have used that to comment on his body language to villainize their client.

Judges in Idaho have broad discretion to limit cameras and provide parameters of coverage, including limiting who can be shown and whether or not cameras can zoom in.

"We don't have any trust that this can be done right," Lodgson said.

Judge Judge said he's never denied cameras in court but that "this case is different."

He said the problem is not with the cameras, but with "what the media does with the video and photographs."

Judge Judge will also issue his decision about cameras at a later date.

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