SPOKANE, Wash. — It's been four months since Moscow murder suspect Bryan Kohberger appeared in court.
It's also been four months since attorney Shanon Gray addressed dozens of media correspondents, following the court appearance.
"It’s obviously an emotional time for the family seeing the defendant for the first time," Gray said back in January. "This is the beginning of the criminal justice system and the family will be here for the long haul.”
The next step in the "long haul" is coming sooner than expected.
Wednesday, a grand jury indicted the murder suspect, moving his next court date to May 22.
“We're glad now that they took it to a grand jury, and he got an indictment," Gray said. "So we'll be there for the arraignment on Monday. And then just looking forward to continuing the judicial process.”
Gray said he found out about the indictment through email Tuesday.
Up until then, he said the Goncalves family was preparing to see Kohberger in June at his originally scheduled preliminary hearing.
This scheduling is something Gray said he's had a problem with.
“Once you charge someone with an input on an information, you normally schedule preliminary hearings within a couple of weeks out," Gray said. "And they said six months out. You know, and I don't think that really was, you know, it's that's hard for a victim's families, for all the victim's families. That's hard.”
Gray said he feels there have been delays in the court process.
He said the months with no updates has been hard on the Goncalves family and other victims' families.
“We’re ready to get things going on this," Gray said. "I think the family is, everyone is, all the victims' families are.”
Gray said bringing in a grand jury is something he recommended early on in the process.
"When I've had meetings with the prosecutors and the families have meetings, we've always encouraged them to do a grand jury," Gray said.
Still, Gray said the family is glad the court process is moving toward bringing the murder suspect to justice.
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