Prosecutors will pursue the death penalty against the man charged in the quadruple murder of four Idaho college students, according to court documents filed Monday.
In the filing, the prosecuting attorney for Latah County pointed to the “aggravating circumstances” in the Nov. 13 killings, describing them as “especially heinous” and saying suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28, allegedly exhibited “utter disregard for human life.”
“Consequently, considering all evidence currently known to the State, the State is compelled to file this notice of intent to seek the death penalty,” the filing says.
Kohberger was arrested Dec. 30 in the slayings of Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.
After a grand jury indicted him in May, he was arraigned on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
Kohberger, who was pursuing a doctorate in criminal justice from a nearby university at the time of his arrest, has pleaded not guilty.
The four students were found dead in their off-campus home in Moscow, nearly 300 miles north of Boise.
Authorities linked Kohberger to the crime scene through cellphone signals, security camera video, a witness and a tan leather knife sheath, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in January.
In a June 22 filing, Kohberger’s lawyer said there was “no connection” between his client and the four students he is accused of fatally stabbing.
Alex Lo and David K. Li contributed.
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