Bryan Kohberger's lawyers oppose death penalty in Idaho quadruple murder case

MOSCOW, Idaho (TND) — Lawyers representing the suspect accused of murdering four University of Idaho students say they are opposed to the death penalty for their client.

Bryan Kohberger is accused of killing the four students in an off-campus house in 2022. His attorneys have argued the constant news coverage of the case has made it impossible to assemble an impartial jury.

The defense’s latest argument filed Thursday claims Kohberger cannot face the death penalty because he waived his right to a speedy trial.

“Idaho cannot force a defendant to choose between his rights,” the document reads. “Here, the choice of the prosecution to seek the death penalty, in conjunction with the requirements for a defense in a capital case as required by Idaho, essentially forced Mr. Kohberger to abandon his right to a speedy trial.”

Without question, the surest way to safeguard Mr. Kohberger’s rights is to strike the death penalty and restore his right to a speedy trial,” it reads.

Other documents filed in the case claim the state’s two forms of the penalty, lethal injection and firing squad, fall under cruel and unusual punishment. This, the lawyers note, is also ruled out by the Constitution.

“Proceeding with capital murder charges in this case is unconstitutional because executing Mr. Kohberger by means of lethal injection or a gunshot as conceived of by the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) would violate his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment and his right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the defense wrote.

The Idaho house where Kohberger allegedly committed the murders was demolished in 2023, sparking mixed reactions from the campus community.

“It was powerful to see the house come down," Jodi Walker, the communications director for the University of Idaho, said at the time. “To know that this was sort of a close of a chapter and a start of a next one.”

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.