LATAH COUNTY, Idaho — The prosecution has filed a motion to seek the death penalty in the case against Bryan Kohberger, accused of murdering four University of Idaho Students in November 2022.
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Kohberger is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary for the incident that occurred on King Road in Moscow, claiming the lives of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
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The motion cites several Idaho codes as reasons for seeking the death penalty, including committing multiple murders, murders committed in an especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel way, and the defendant showing no regard for human life, acting with reckless indifference to human life, and the defendant demonstrating the propensity to commit murder and therefore a threat to society.
In this past legislative session, Idaho lawmakers authorized the firing squad as a method of execution in the event that medications for lethal injection cannot be acquired in a timely fashion.
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In a statement released by the family of Kaylee Goncalves
"The Goncalves Family is grateful that the Prosecutors office is pursuing the death penalty. There is no one more deserving than the Defendant in this case. We continue to pray for all the victim's families and appreciate all the support we have received."
Kohberger's trial is currently scheduled to begin on October 2, 2024.
