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Judge rules prosecutors can seek death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if convicted of Idaho student murders — despite autism diagnosis

April 25, 2025
in News
Judge rules prosecutors can seek death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if convicted of Idaho student murders — despite autism diagnosis
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A judge ruled on Thursday that prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if he is found guilty of the 2022 slaying of four University of Idaho students.

Judge Steven Hippler’s decision comes after Kohberger’s attorneys asked the court to bar the sentence due to his autism diagnosis.

Prosecutors previously indicated in court filings that they intended to seek the death penalty if a conviction is secured.

Defense attorneys in court documents argued Kohberger’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) “reduces his culpability, negates the retributive and deterrent purposes of capital punishment, and exposes him to the unacceptable risk that he will be wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death,” according to a report from the Associated Press.

They added it could be considered cruel and unusual punishment, which is outlawed in the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court, May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.
Judge Steven Hippler ruled that prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if he is found guilty of the 2022 murders of the four University of Idaho students. AP

Hippler said Kohberger’s attorneys failed to show that ASD is equivalent to an intellectual disability for death penalty exemption purposes, and there is no national consensus against subjecting individuals with ASD to capital punishment, the AP reported. 

“ASD may be mitigating factor to be weighed against the aggravating factors in determining if defendant should receive the death penalty, but it is not (a) death-penalty disqualified,” Hippler said.

Final photo of the victims, pictured just hours before their untimely deaths: Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right.
The decision came after attorneys representing Kohberger asked the court to bar the sentence due to being diagnosed with autism.

The 30-year-old is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were stabbed to death at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, at about 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022.

Authorities have noted suspicious behavior, like Kohberger allegedly turning off his phone before driving home, and changing his license plates days following the killings.

Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for a hearing Tuesday at the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow, Idaho, U.S. June 27, 2023.
Court filings previously showed that prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted of the murder charges. via REUTERS

However, authorities claim to have a key piece of evidence — Kohberger’s DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath found under Mogen’s body.

The former criminology Ph.D. student is also charged with felony burglary, Fox News Digital previously reported.

A judge entered his not-guilty pleas in May 2023, though the trial is not expected to begin until Aug. 11.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

The post Judge rules prosecutors can seek death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if convicted of Idaho student murders — despite autism diagnosis appeared first on New York Post.

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