(NewsNation) — Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, can face the death penalty if convicted, a judge has ruled.
Kohberger’s defense team sought to remove the death penalty as a possible punishment, but Ada County Judge Steven Hippler denied its request.
The trial for Kohberger is set to begin in August.
Bryan Kohberger charged in deaths of Idaho college students
Kohberger, 29, is charged in the deaths of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death in an off-campus house in November of 2022.
The deaths of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, shocked the small town of Moscow, Idaho. Initially, investigators had few leads and spent considerable time tracing the activities of the four students in the hours prior to their deaths.
At the time, Kohberger was a graduate student at nearby Washington State University, where he was working toward a Ph.D. in criminology.
This July 2022 photo provided by Jazzmin Kernodle shows University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, right, and Ethan Chapin on a boat on Priest Lake, in Idaho. Both students were among four found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home on Nov. 13. (Jazzmin Kernodle via AP) Credit: @kayleegoncalves Instagram FILE – Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File) Fotografía proporcionada por la prisión del condado Monroe, Pensilvania, de Bryan Kohberger. (Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility vía AP)
Kohberger was arrested at his parent’s home in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings. The court filings describe the scene that night, alleging that law enforcement shattered a sliding glass door to the home and held the entire family at gunpoint.
NewsNation’s Stephanie Whiteside contributed to this report.