The death penalty remains on the table for Bryan Kohberger, accused of killing four University of Idaho students in their sleep, a judge has ruled.
Kohberger’s defense had asked that District Court Judge Steven Hippler not make it a capital murder case, claiming that making Kohberger wait on death row constituted torture — violating international law and the state’s constitution.
But Hippler said the team had not made its case, and that the heinous crime warranted a stiff penalty.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to four first-degree-murder counts in the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at their off-campus home in Moscow on Nov. 13, 2022. He was arrested at the end of December 2022.
In all, Hippler struck down 12 motions from the defense in a 52-page decision released Wednesday, KBOI-TV reported.
In a statement, Goncalves’ family said they were “overjoyed” with the decision, CBS News reported, adding: “Justice is moving forward, and we pray that one day, in the not-so-distant future, it will be served.”