A judge has ruled that prosecutors may pursue the death penalty for Bryan Kohberger, charged with the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students. The defense argued that Kohberger's autism diagnosis should exempt him from capital punishment, equating it to an intellectual disability under the Eighth Amendment. However, the judge rejected this claim, stating that autism alone does not fulfill the criteria for intellectual disability. The trial is set to occur between August and November 2023, with prosecutors intent on seeking capital punishment if convicted.
Kohberger's attorneys argued that his autism diagnosis constituted an intellectual disability, claiming a death sentence would violate the Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishments.
The judge found that autism alone does not meet the criteria for intellectual disability, dismissing the defense's argument for a categorical exemption from the death penalty.
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