Man accused of killing four Idaho students fights death penalty | Idaho

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, appeared at a hearing in Idaho on Thursday as his lawyers sought to rule out the possibility of a death penalty if convicted.

Kohberger, who sat in court Thursday wearing a suit, was charged with first-degree murder and four counts of burglary in the deaths of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were stabbed two years ago, on November 13, 2022, at an off-campus apartment building in Moscow, Idaho. He has pleaded not guilty.

At a hearing Thursday morning, Ada District Judge Steven Hippler heard oral arguments from both district attorneys and Kohberger's defense team on the death penalty.

Idaho is one of 27 states in the United States that imposes the death penalty. Execution methods approved in the state include lethal injection and, as of last year, execution by firing squad.

Prosecutors in Idaho announced last year their intention to seek the death penalty for Kohberger, as required by state law. To sentence a defendant to death after a murder conviction, the jury must be unanimous.

In court documents, prosecutors have argued that there are several aggravating factors in Kohberger's case that could make him eligible for the death penalty under state law.

Among the factors they have alleged are that there were multiple victims, that the murders were “particularly heinous, cruel or cruel,” that he exhibited “total disregard for human life” and that he had “a proclivity to murder, which will result in this.” are likely to represent a continuing threat to society.”

But Kohberger's lawyers argue that the death penalty should be removed from his case and believe it is unconstitutional.

They argue, among other things, that the death penalty would violate Kohberger's right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment and his right to due process and that the death penalty violates “contemporary standards of decency.”

His lawyers have also claimed that the criteria and standards for applying the death penalty are unclear and “unconstitutionally vague,” according to NBC News, and that Idaho's requirement for a speedy trial makes it difficult for them to adequately prepare for a high-risk death criminal case .

At Thursday's hearing, Kohberger's lawyers also argued that there is currently a lethal injection shortage in the United States and Idaho and that the state has an effective means of executing an inmate.

“There is no way to execute anyone in Idaho right now,” said Anne Taylor, Kohberger’s public defender. “When someone is on death row and there is no way to execute them, it is dehumanizing for that person.

“It's fear. It's fear. It's the ignorance,” Taylor said, adding that she believes the other method, shooting, is unconstitutional and has not yet been implemented in the state.

Prosecutors rejected the idea that Idaho doesn't have the means to kill anyone, saying Idaho now has lethal injections and that methods could also change in the future.

“Frankly, we simply don’t know enough now to spend the time and effort debating what we don’t know in the future,” the prosecutor said.

The death penalty has not been imposed in Idaho since 2012 because the state struggled to obtain lethal injections, and earlier this year an execution was botched and delayed because prison staff couldn't find the man's vein.

It is unclear when the judge will make a decision.

Kohberger, 29, a former criminal justice student at Washington State University, was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania on December 30, 2022, after weeks of investigation.

His DNA was matched to DNA found in a knife sheath at the crime scene, and his cellphone records or surveillance videos showed he had visited the area at least a dozen times before the murders and that he was traveling in the area that night.

Kohberger's attorneys said in court papers that he took a car ride that night, as he often did, to hike and run, “and/or see the moon and stars.”

After his arrest, Kohberger was extradited to Idaho and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Kohberger's trial is scheduled to begin in early August 2025 and jury selection is scheduled to begin on July 30.

In September, an Idaho judge moved the trial from Latah County to Boise after Kohberger's lawyers argued, among other things, that he could not receive a fair trial at the courthouse in the area where the murders occurred.