BOISE, ID (AP) The judge handling the trial of Bryan Kohberger said he would consider the defense team’s request to delay the proceedings but warned attorneys on both sides to be ready to go next month anyway.

Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler said that he would issue a written ruling on the trial timing in the near future. Defense attorney Anne Taylor told the judge that proceeding with an August trial date would violate Kohberger’s constitutional right to a fair trial.

She added that his attorneys are still reviewing evidence and struggling to get potential witnesses to agree to be interviewed.

Prosecutor Josh Hurwit noted that Kohberger has three attorneys, two investigators, a mitigation expert and various other experts working on his case.

Kohberger, a former graduate student in criminal justice at WSU, is charged with four counts of murder. Prosecutors say he snuck into a rental home in Moscow, Idaho, and fatally stabbed Ethan Chapin of Skagit County and three Idaho women on Nov. 13, 2022.

The killings drew worldwide attention almost immediately, prompting a judge to issue a sweeping gag order.

But a recent Dateline episode included details that weren’t publicly released, and Hippler said the information appears to have come from law enforcement or someone close to the case.