Judge Steven Hippler ruled Wednesday that Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students, can face the death penalty.
Earlier this month, Kohberger’s public defense team attacked the death penalty from multiple angles, arguing it is arbitrary, unconstitutional, violates international law and that waiting on death row for years or decades wondering if you’d get lethal injection or firing squad if the state couldn’t get the right drugs was unfair.
In the 54-page ruling, Hippler provided several reasons why Kohberger's defense team arguing against the death penalty is insufficient. The first one being that the motion is not "ripe," which is the part of the "justiciability that 'asks whether there is any need for court action at the present time.'"
The other reasons are lethal injection and the firing squad have been found constitutional and the defendant has failed to identify an alternate execution method. A facility for the firing squad has not yet been built at the Ada County Jail.
Kohberger's trial is currently scheduled for August 2025.
