Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of rape booed again, louder, loses second match of Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who served time in prison after he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in England, lost his second straight match at the Paris Olympics and received an even harsher reaction from the crowd on Wednesday than for his first match.

Three days after they made their Olympic debut to some boos — mixed in with cheers from the orange-clad Dutch fans — Van de Velde and Matthew Immers were heartily jeered after a 21-19, 21-16 loss to Chile. There were more boos when Van de Velde played most any shot.

“I was disappointed with the crowd, for sure,” Immers said. “I cannot do anything about his past anymore. I’m here to play with him. … So, yeah, I’m disappointed with it. But I think mentally we’re really strong, and I’m really strong to get through this, together. And we’re going to do that.”

Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison after his 2016 conviction for having sex with a 12-year-old girl. Although victims advocates, lawmakers and fans have called for him to be banned from the Olympics, the IOC has said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.

Van de Velde again did not walk through the mix zone to address the media on Wednesday, something typically required of every athlete. When Immers arrived, Dutch press attache Hans Nieuwenburg told reporters, “Sport questions only.”

“He said everything on (Sunday),” when the two lost their opening match to Italy, Nieuwenburg said.

Immers was asked about the reception and said the two spoke on the court and recognized they would need to be extra supportive of each other. Asked if he understood why they received that reception, he said, “I don’t want to talk about that, if it’s OK.”

“I think what’s in the past is in the past, and we’re here to go for a good result together,” Immers said, noting that there were Dutch fans cheering for them. “And I want to say there was also a lot of people supporting us, and we’re doing it for them. I really like this sport and I still love the crowd and the people who support us.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

The Netherland's Steven van de Velde blocks a shot against Chile in a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The Netherland's Steven van de Velde celebrates afterhe and The Netherland's Matthew Immers defeated Chile in a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The Netherland's Steven van de Velde slams a shot over the net against Chile in a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The Netherland's Steven van de Velde applauds the crowd after his team's victory against Chile in a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. Van de Velde was booed throughout the match in response to his rape conviction. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The Netherland's Steven van de Velde gets set to return a shot against Chile in a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The judge overseeing the trial of the man charged in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students has agreed to move it out of the small city where the shocking crimes occurred, citing concerns about finding impartial jurors and whether the courthouse could accommodate the proceedings.

In an order dated Friday, Idaho Second District Judge John C. Judge said extensive media coverage of the case, the spreading of misinformation on social media and statements by public officials suggesting defendant Bryan Kohberger’s guilt made it doubtful he could receive a fair trial in Moscow, a university town of about 26,000 in northern Idaho.

He did not specify where the trial would be moved. It's set for June 2025 and is expected to last three months.

“It is undisputed that there has been significant media coverage in this case throughout the State and nationally,” Judge wrote. “While some of the coverage has been neutral reporting of the Court proceedings, much of the coverage has been sensationalized and prejudicial to Kohberger.”

But even if enough impartial jurors could be selected to hear the case, the Latah County courthouse wouldn't be able to handle it, Judge said. It's too small to accommodate the needs of the lawyers and doesn't have enough clerks to oversee the selection of a jury from an expanded pool of some 6,000 residents.

Further, the county doesn't have enough sheriff's deputies to ensure security in a small courthouse where the only way in for sensitive witnesses would be through public hallways and entrances, he said.

Kohberger’s defense team sought the change of venue, saying strong emotions in the close-knit community and constant news coverage will make it impossible to find an impartial jury in the small university town where the killings occurred.

Prosecutors argued that any problems with potential bias could be resolved by simply calling a larger pool of potential jurors and questioning them carefully. They noted the inconvenience of forcing attorneys, witnesses and others to travel to a different city.

Kohberger, a former criminal justice student at Washington State University, which is across the state line in Pullman, faces four counts of murder in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

The four University of Idaho students were killed sometime in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, in a rental house near the campus.

Authorities have said that cellphone data or surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims’ neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings; that he traveled in the region that night, returning to Pullman along a roundabout route; and that his DNA was found at the crime scene.

His lawyers said in a court filing he was merely out for a drive that night, "as he often did to hike and run and/or see the moon and stars.”

Police arrested Kohberger six weeks after the killings at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, where he was spending winter break.

Johnson reported from Seattle.

FILE - Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File)