Prosecutors in the Bryan Kohberger case on Tuesday asked the court to appoint a new special assistant attorney general.
Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus residence in November 2022.
The new filing by the prosecution is an amended version of an April 2023 petition, which led to the appointment of Deputy Attorneys General Jeff Nye and Ingrid Batey.
Prosecutors are now asking the court to appoint the chief of the Criminal Law Division, or his designee, as a special assistant attorney general to assist the prosecution. Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson also spoke about the possibility of transitioning deputy attorneys general in the filing.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool
“The nature of this case and its prospective duration may require the transition of assigned deputy attorneys general to meet staffing needs,” Thompson said.
Kohberger’s trial was originally scheduled to start in June of next year. District Judge Steven Hippler pushed the start date back to August 11, 2025, with jury selection beginning on July 31. The trial is expected to conclude in November.
Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted. On Wednesday, Hippler denied 12 motions submitted by the defense objecting to various aspects of capital punishment.
A hearing on the motions was held on November 7. Hippler listened to arguments from both sides before taking the matter under advisement.
Defendants convicted of first-degree murder in Idaho are eligible for the death penalty if the crime meets any of 11 aggravating factors.
Prosecutors identified four aggravating factors in Kohberger’s case, which are “at the time the murder was committed, the defendant also committed another murder”; “the murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity”; “by the murder, or circumstances surrounding its commission, the defendant exhibited utter disregard for human life”; and “the defendant, by his conduct, whether such conduct was before, during or after the commission of the murder at hand, has exhibited a propensity to commit murder which will probably constitute a continuing threat to society.”
The defense filed motions to strike each of the aggravating factors, which Hippler denied.
“The Court finds none of Defendant’s arguments to be prevailing,” Hippler wrote.
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