The court’s order denying Shannon Gray—attorney for the Goncalves family—an exemption from the gag order in the Bryan Kohberger case reaffirmed that no outside party, including victims’ families or their representatives, may publicly comment in ways that could influence the jury pool. The judge ruled that Gray’s public statements and media appearances risked undermining the integrity of the trial, especially given the extraordinary national scrutiny surrounding the Moscow murders. While Gray argued that he should be free to speak on behalf of the family, the court held that allowing him to operate outside the gag order would create an uneven playing field and open the door to trial-by-media, which could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial.


In denying the request, the judge emphasized that the gag order applies universally: law enforcement, attorneys, victims’ families, and their spokespersons are all bound by the same restrictions. The court noted that the order was not intended to silence the families but to protect the judicial process from contamination through pretrial publicity. Allowing one family’s attorney to effectively circumvent the order would weaken its purpose entirely. The ruling made clear that emotional stakes cannot override legal standards and that, despite immense public pressure, the court will prioritize fairness, neutrality, and the viability of a future jury above all else.

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