Defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho studentsin 2022, may argue that their client is on the autism spectrum as a way to get the death penalty off the table.
Kohberger’s case summary filed in Ada County District Court shows a Feb. 24 motion titled “Strike Death Penalty RE: Autism Spectrum Disorder.” However, details of the motion remain unclear since it was filed with the court under seal, meaning the documents are not public record.
According to the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks, autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), “refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.”
Kohberger is scheduled to go on trial on Aug. 11. He is charged with four counts of murder in connection with the brutal stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The killings occurred in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. He has pleaded not guilty.
From left: Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle.
Courtesy of Chapin Family; Maddie Mogen/Instagram; Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram; Xana Kernodle/Instagram
This motion follows previous attempts by Kohberger’s defense team to strike the death penalty.
Earlier in February, his attorneys had failed to exclude evidence that potentially connects Kohberger to the crime scene. They also attempted to exclude data linked to Kohberger’s different Internet accounts, and other evidence, per ABC News.
Kohberger’s defense team argued in November 2024 that the firing squad method of execution is a “cruel and unusual punishment,” NBC News and Fox News reported.
Ann Taylor, Kohberger’s public defender, also claimed at the time that her client has anxiety about not knowing how long he would be on death row and that if he’s convicted, the jury — and not the judge — should decide whether Kohberger will receive a death sentence, per NBC News.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told PEOPLEin November 2024 that he thinks “it’s highly unlikely that the trial judge takes the death penalty off the table, but the defense is taking a kitchen sink approach, throwing everything on the table.”
