Judge decides whether Kohberger is eligible for the death penalty in ongoing U of I murder case
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Kate Jacobson and Karen Lehr, KIVI
ADA COUNTY, Idaho (KIVI) — Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, could still face the death penalty if convicted in his 2025 trial. This comes after a judge denied the defense’s motions to strike the death penalty.
Prosecutors first filed an intent to seek the death penalty in June 2023, and a hearing was held on Nov. 7 to hear the defense’s arguments regarding their motions to strike the death penalty.
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The defense argued concerns that a death-qualified jury could lead to a higher likelihood of conviction.
“It goes to the point of why we are arguing all of these right now — there’s a huge difference between picking a death-qualifying jury and a non-capital qualified jury,” the defense argued earlier this month. “Death-qualified juries are highly likely to convict in the guilt-innocence phase, and we are very concerned about that.”
Judge Steven Hippler, who is overseeing Kohberger’s case in Ada County, ultimately ruled in favor of the prosecution on Wednesday, meaning the death penalty will remain a possibility if Kohberger is convicted.
Click here to read the ruling.