April 25 (UPI) — Bryan Kohberger, on trial for the alleged murder of four Idaho college students, still potentially faces the death penalty despite a recent diagnosis of autism.
In a case docket filed Thursday, Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler denied a request from Kohberger’s defense team “to strike the death penalty as a sentencing option” under the argument that it violates his constitutional rights.
According to the document, Kohberger has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD. His defense team then submitted that he should be exempted from a death sentence because of this disability, but Judge Hippler wrote that “no court has ever found ASD to be a categorically death-disqualifying diagnosis.”
In a separate ruling, Hippler approved Thursday that most of a 911 call made by one of the victims, and texts made by two people who survived the incident, are admissible for use in the case by the prosecution. The defense had attempted to block the use of the call and texts due to “hearsay statements” within the communications. Hippler wrote in the ruling that “some of the hearsay statements on the 911 call” do need to be redacted, but “the balance of the 911 call as well as the texts and conversations noted herein are likely admissible.”
A third ruling from Hippler Thursday denied a request from the defense to exclude testimony from several experts brought forth by the prosecution to testify about various related forensic and electronic aspects of the case.
Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in connection to the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin in November of 2022, and his trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 11.
