Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022can face the death penalty, a judge ruled.
Kohberger’s defense team had sought to remove the death penalty as a possible sentence if he were convicted, but Ada County Judge Steven Hippler denied their requests in his ruling dated Tuesday. The prosecution said it intended to seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted.
Arguments from Kohberger’s attorneys included claims that forcing inmates to wait years on death row and the methods available for executing prisoners in Idaho both constitute cruel and unusual punishment. They also argued that Idaho’s death penalty laws violated an international treaty banning the torture of prisoners.
Kohberger is charged in the November 13, 2022 stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. All four were students at the University of Idaho and were killed at an off-campus house. Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022 in Pennsylvania and was extradited to Idaho in January 2023. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Kohberger did not respond when asked in court to plead guilty last year, so the judge entered a not guilty plea. Kohberger was incarcerated in September in Boise, where his the trial was moved at the request of the defense.
His trial is expected to begin in August 2025.
Goncalves’ family said in a statement they were “delighted” with the decision and criticized the judge who handled the case before the move to Boise for “failing to pronounce the victims’ names correctly, having laughed in the courtroom or entertained everyone.” absurd motion or argument that the defense could muster.
“We finally have a judge who appears prepared, thoughtful and knowledgeable about the legal process,” they said. “There is a new level of seriousness that has been missing for too long… Justice is moving forward, and we pray that one day, in the not-so-distant future, it will be served.”
