Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in Idaho murder case
The news
Prosecutors in Idaho said they plan to seek the death penalty against the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students at a home near campus last fall.
Why it matters: The murders were “particularly gruesome.”
Bill Thompson, the top prosecutor in Latah County, wrote in a lawsuit Monday that the nature of the November murders — stabbings that took place in the middle of the night and went unsolved for weeks — met the standard for the kind of aggravating factors that warranted the death penalty. to demand. Among them, he said: The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, is charged with multiple counts of murder; the murders were “particularly gruesome, gruesome or brutal”; and Mr Kohberger had shown “utter contempt for human life”.
Mr. Kohberger, 28, who was studying criminology in a Ph.D. program at neighboring Washington State University, has said through an attorney that he expects to be acquitted. At a hearing last month, Mr Kohberger refused to enter a plea, leading the judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Idaho has not executed a single prisoner since 2012, and Mr. Thompson noted that the law allowed him to change his mind later and reverse his decision to seek the death penalty. In March, Idaho became the last state to authorize the use of firing squads to carry out executions in response to growing difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
The relatives of one victim, Kaylee Goncalves, said in a statement Monday that they were grateful that prosecutors pursued the death penalty.
“There is no one worth more than the defendant in this case,” they said.
Background: Prosecutors say DNA was found at the scene that matches the suspect.
Mr. Kohberger, who has been jailed at his parents’ Pennsylvania home since his December arrest, is scheduled to go on trial in October. Authorities have not provided any clue as to what they believe may have been Mr Kohberger’s motive.
The Four Student Victims — Mrs. Goncalves, 21; Madison May, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 – were killed in a home near campus during the early morning hours of Nov. 13.
For weeks, investigators were unable to identify a suspect, but eventually began focusing on Mr. Kohberger after using genetic genealogy, a technique previously used primarily in cold cases that compares DNA from the crime scene to profiles on consumer ancestry websites, allowing the police to attempt to build a family tree.
Authorities have said Mr Kohberger’s DNA has been linked to a knife sheath found on a bed next to one of the victims. They also said video footage showed a white vehicle circling the neighborhood around the time investigators believe the murders happened. Mr. Kohberger drove a white sedan.
What’s Next: The defense wants DNA data.
A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in which Mr Kohberger’s lawyers are seeking access to data on how investigators handled the DNA in the case.