BOISE, ID – A judge has ruled that the prosecution may continue pursuing the death penalty in the case against Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November of 2022.

30-year-old Kohberger is facing charges for the brutal stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves. The killings took place in an off-campus residence in Moscow.

His defense attorneys had sought to take the death penalty off the table, citing Kohberger’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They argued that his condition should serve as a shield against capital punishment under constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, noting concerns about diminished culpability and increased vulnerability to wrongful conviction.

But Judge Steven Hippler rejected that motion, stating that an ASD diagnosis does not meet the legal threshold for intellectual disability—the standard established by the U.S. Supreme Court for death penalty exemption. The judge added that while ASD could be considered as a mitigating factor if Kohberger is found guilty, it does not disqualify him from facing capital punishment.

The trial is set to begin on August 11, 2025.

Kohberger, who was a graduate student in criminal justice at Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested in December 2022. Authorities allege that DNA found on a knife sheath at the crime scene helped link him to the killings. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.