Bryan Kohberger should not face the death penalty if found guilty of murder due to his autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, his defense team said.
In a recently unsealed motion, his lead defense lawyer, Anne Taylor, asked for the death penalty to be removed from his potential sentencing, as she said it would violate the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary following the fatal stabbings of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
Although Kohberger’s team pleaded not guilty on his behalf, the move by Taylor shows that they are concerned about what punishment he may face if found guilty. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.
Kohberger was charged with the killings in which four students were stabbed in a house at 1122 King Road after his DNA was found on a knife sheath at the house. Kohberger’s trial is due to begin in August in Boise.
At the time of the killings, Kohberger, a Pennsylvania native, was studying for his Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University’s campus in Pullman, Washington, less than eight miles from Moscow.