Accused U of Idaho Killer Can Get Death Penalty, if Convicted

The suspect in the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 could get the death penalty if convicted, says Idaho Judge Steven Hippler, who is presiding over the case.

Brian Kohberger will go on trial in August of 2025.

Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were found stabbed to death in a home used for campus housing in November of 2022.

Kohberger, who was captured after a nationwide manhunt, has been charged with four counts of murder.

His attorneys argued unsuccessfully to have the death penalty taken off the table. According to MyNorthwest.com:

"Kohberger’s defense attorneys filed multiple briefs ahead of that hearing, arguing everything from the availability of chemicals for lethal injection chemicals to what they call the cruel and unusual method of using the firing squad.

The memorandum states the team failed to prove their arguments and that some of the material they used to back up their claims was “irrelevant.”

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Kohbeger was a doctoral student at nearby Washington State in Pullman at the time of the murders.

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