Under a new bill introduced in the Idaho Legislature, the suspect in the quadruple homicide of four University of Idaho students could face a firing squad upon conviction if the prosecution seeks the death penalty.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, allegedly stabbed Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, to death in their beds on Nov. 13 in their home. A bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Bruce Skaug, would reinstate execution by firing squad in the state, a method that was legal from 1982 to 2009.
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Prosecutors have not yet shared if they will intend to seek the death penalty, which would be by lethal injection under current Idaho law. Under Skaug's bill, the Idaho Department of Correction would have to determine whether lethal injection is available no later than five days after a death warrant is issued. If lethal injection is not possible, a firing squad would be used in its place, per the bill.
Lethal injection is the maximum penalty used in cases in which the suspect pleads guilty or is found guilty of first-degree murder. Kohberger is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
Only Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have laws allowing firing squads, but South Carolina's law is on hold after a lawsuit was filed challenging the legality of the electric chair or firing squad.
Lethal injections are a controversial topic, as advocates against the death penalty point to the number of executions botched year after year as a reason to abolish the practice. In 2022, dubbed the "year of the botched execution" by the Death Penalty Information Center, seven of 20 execution attempts were visibly problematic due to either executioner incompetence or protocol failures.
Skaug said the firing squad would be a more humane method of carrying out executions, per the Idaho Capital Sun.
Acquiring the chemicals needed for lethal injections has proven to be difficult as well. Utah brought back a firing squad in recent years due to the inability to get the materials necessary to have lethal injections.
In Idaho, the Department of Correction had to cancel the scheduled execution of Gerald Pizzuto Jr., who was convicted for the deaths of Berta and Delbert Herndon, in November after the department could not obtain the chemicals necessary to carry out the lethal injection.
A public hearing for Skaug's bill is set to be held in the Idaho House Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee, which Skaug chairs.
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Goncalves's family has publicly called for the death penalty in Kohberger's case. However, family attorney Shannon Gray said the decision would be "made by all the families" on whether or not the death penalty is pursued.
Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30 after a monthslong investigation. A hearing date is set for June 26, which will mark seven months since the murders.