BOISE, Idaho — Prosecutors in Idaho on Monday said they will seek the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students at an off-campus home last year.
In a court record filed Monday, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said the state “found several aggravating factors” in the stabbing deaths, the Idaho Statesman reported.
According to Idaho state law, such factors must exist beyond a first-degree murder charge for prosecutors to seek capital punishment, according to the newspaper.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson found several aggravating factors in the November stabbing deaths, he wrote in a court record filed Monday. https://t.co/RMkWVjtcbJ
— Idaho Statesman (@IdahoStatesman) June 26, 2023
According to the filing, the state “has not identified or been provided with any mitigating circumstances” to stop it from considering the death penalty.”
“Consequently, considering all evidence currently known to the State, the State is compelled to file this notice of intent to seek the death penalty,” the filing states.
Authorities arrested Bryan Kohberger on burglary and first-degree murder charges after officials found Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20; stabbed to death on Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was silent in May when he was asked to enter his plea to the charges, and a judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.
On Thursday, Kohberger’s lawyer, Jay Weston Logsdon, said in a court filing that “There is no connection between Mr. Kohberger and the victims.”
“There is no explanation for the total lack of DNA evidence from the victims in Mr. Kohberger’s apartment, office, home, or vehicle,” Logsdon said.
The prosecution had 60 days from the date Kohberger entered a plea to submit the filing, known as a notice of intent, to seek capital punishment, the Statesman reported. The prosecution also determined the murders were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity,” quoting from Idaho law.
Authorities arrested Kohberger late last year in Pennsylvania. Kohberger was a Ph.D. student studying criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, about 10 miles from the scene of the killings. Police said cellphone records showed that Kohberger had visited the area at least a dozen times between June 2022 and November 2022.
Goncalves’ family told the Statesman in an email through their attorney that they were thankful for the prosecutor’s decision.
“The Goncalves family is grateful that the prosecutor’s office is pursuing the death penalty,” attorney Shanon Gray wrote on behalf of the family. “There is no one more deserving than the defendant in this case. We continue to pray for all the victims’ families and appreciate all the support we have received.”
A motive for the killings remained unclear Monday.
