BOISE, Idaho– Lawyers for a man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students asked a judge Thursday to take the death penalty off the table, arguing that international, federal and state laws all make it inappropriate for the case.
Bryan Kohberger is accused of killing Ethan Chapin, graduate student at nearby Washington State University – to the crime, ranging from DNA found on a knife shell casing at the scene, surveillance video and cellphone data.
When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger remained silent, prompting a judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
During a pre-trial hearing, Kohberger’s defense team made a wide range of arguments against the death penalty, including saying that it does not fit current standards of decency, that it is cruel to keep convicted prisoners in prison for decades to wait on death row while awaiting their death penalty. execution and that it violates an international treaty banning the torture of prisoners.
But 4th District Judge Stephen Hippler questioned many of those claims, saying the international treaty they referenced was aimed at ensuring prisoners receive a fair trial so they are not convicted and executed without due process.
Prosecutors noted that the Idaho Supreme Court has already considered many of these arguments in other capital cases and upheld the death penalty.
Still, by raising the issues at the hearing, Kohberger’s defense team took the first step toward preserving their legal arguments in the case file, potentially allowing them to re-raise them on appeal.
The judge said he would issue a written ruling on the requests later.
Kristi and Steve Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ parents, attended the hearing. Afterwards, they said the details of the case showed the death penalty was justified.
“You have four victims, all in one house, that’s more than enough,” Steve Goncalves said.
Kristi Goncalves said she has spoken to the coroner and knows what happened to her daughter.
“If he did something like our daughter and the others, then he deserves to die,” she said.
Kohberger’s attorneys have said he went for a drive the night of the killings, something he often did to look at the sky.
His trial will begin in August next year and is expected to last three months. The Goncalves family said they have rented a house in Boise so they can attend.