US: Judge rules that death penalty remains a possibility for Brian Kohberger
US: On Wednesday, a court decided that Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students by stabbing them, would still be eligible for the death sentence.
In connection with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, Kohberger, 30, is accused with four counts of murder. On November 13, 2022, the four were discovered dead murdered in a rented house close to the university’s Moscow campus.
About six weeks after the murders, Kohberger, who was a graduate student at Washington State University in neighboring Pullman, Washington, at the time, was taken into custody at his parents’ Pennsylvania home. Last year, a court entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf after he refused to enter a plea when requested to do so. Last year, prosecutors said that if Kohberger is found guilty in the case, they will pursue the death sentence.
Since then, his defense team has been trying to eliminate it as a possibility. On the basis of various grounds, they submitted 12 motions in September to abolish the death sentence, which were debated before Judge Steven Hippler on November 7.
They argued that Idaho’s death penalty laws violate an international treaty that forbids torturing prisoners, that it is cruel to force condemned prisoners to wait decades on death row before being executed, and that Idaho law falls short in limiting the number of people who can be executed.
Despite the reasoning, Hippler rejected every request in a 55-page decision on Tuesday.
The court said, “The Court concludes relief in Defendant’s favor is not warranted on any of the motions,” in the decision.
Newsweek has emailed the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office and Kohberger’s lawyer for comment.
In a statement criticizing the judge who had been presiding over the case before to its transfer to Ada County in September, the Goncalves family expressed their “overjoyed” response to Hippler’s ruling.
“We finally have a Judge who we believe is prepared, thoughtful and understands the process,” the family said. “A degree of gravity that hasn’t been in a while is present. We were thus ecstatic to learn today that the motions pertaining to the death penalty had been rejected.
“Using cellphone data, security footage, and DNA discovered on a knife sheath at the scene, investigators claimed to have connected Kohberger to the murder. In court filings, Kohberger’s lawyers have detailed his alibi, claiming that on the night of the murders, he was driving alone.
Beginning on August 11, 2025, Kohberger’s trial is anticipated to last around three months.
The relatives stated: “Justice is moving forward and one day in the not so distant future hopefully it will be served.”
