Idaho murders: Public defender Brian Kochberger says she never met victim’s mother Xana Kernodle

Recently unsealed court documents show that a public defender for Idaho murder suspect Brian Koberger told the judge she had no conflict of interest that would prevent her from representing Koberger.

Public Defender Ann Taylor told Lata County Magistrate Megan Marshall during a secret court hearing in late January that she never met the mother of murder victim Xana Kernodle and never gave her legal advice.

Kara Kernodle, Xana’s mother, has previously said that Taylor is representing her in a criminal drug case in Kootenai County. She told NewsNation’s Ashley Banfield that she felt “heartbroken” and “betrayed” after Taylor gave up her case to represent Kochberger.

Kernodle also claimed to have given Taylor a “power of attorney”.

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Brian Kochberger appears in court with Kootenai County Public Defender Ann Taylor on January 12, 2023. (POOL)

In a secret hearing in January, Taylor explained to the judge that because she is Kootenai County’s chief public defender, her name appears on nearly all letterhead for the Kootenai County Public Defender’s office, whether or not she is an acting attorney.

She said she had no contact or relationship with Kara Kernodle, never met her, and did not give her any legal advice in the drug case or the 2017 tort case.

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University of Idaho victims Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle. (Instagram: @ethanchapin4)

Taylor said she explained the situation to prosecutors in the Kochberger case and to ISB, who agreed there was no conflict as long as Kochberger did not object to Taylor continuing with her case.

Koberger confirmed to the judge that he was fine with Taylor remaining as his defense attorney.

Brian Kochberger in Lata County Court for his first appearance on January 5, 2023. Next to him is his public defender Ann Taylor. Sitting Lata County Attorney Bill Thompson. (POOL)

Taylor is the public defender for Kootenai County, Idaho, but was hired with Representative Kohberger in Lata County, where the Moscow student murders were committed, because of her experience in handling capital murder cases.

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Lata County Magistrate Megan Marshall speaks at a January 2023 hearing in the case of Brian Kochberger (inset), suspected of stabbing four students outside the University of Idaho. (Kai Eiselein/Pool)

Koberger at present held without collateral on four counts of first-degree murder and a charge of burglary after he allegedly broke into an off-campus home around 4 a.m. on November 13 and assaulted four University of Idaho students inside.

The ambush killed Madison Mogen and Kaley Gonsalves, both 21, their 20-year-old housemate Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, also 20, who were living nearby and staying overnight.

Ethan Chapin, Kaylie Gonsalves, Maddison Mogen and Xana Kernodle were stabbed to death on November 13th. (Fox News)

All four were stabbed multiple times, according to Lata County Coroner Katie Mabbatt, who said at least some of the victims may have been asleep at the start of the attack.

Two other roommates were in the house at the time of the murders but were not attacked. One of the roommates told the police she witnessed a masked intruder with “thick eyebrows” walk out the back door.

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Investigators leave a home in Moscow, Idaho on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, where four people were killed on November 13. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

Police recovered the scabbard at the scene and claim DNA found on the thumb latch helped them find Kochberger, who allegedly haunted the house at least 12 times. before the killings and returned home the next morning, according to the affidavit.

Koberger was a Ph.D. criminology student at the University of Washington, about 10 miles away from the University of Idaho.

After the murders, Kochberger drove across the country to his parents’ home in the Poconos in Pennsylvania.

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Brian Kochberger and his alleged victims. (APU/Instagram)

There, he was arrested by Pennsylvania police and the FBI on December 30, seven weeks after the murder.

Kochberger is due back in court on June 26 for a preliminary hearing in which his defense plans to challenge the evidence against him.

Michael Ruiz and Stephanie Pagones of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.