Idaho Prosecutors Will Seek Death Penalty In Kohberger Trial, Says Judge

Prosecutors are likely to seek the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, according to Belvin Perry, the former Florida judge who presided over the controversial Casey Anthony murder case.

Kohberger, 28, was arrested on December 30 on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. Prosecutors allege he killed Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, at a shared student house in Moscow, Idaho, during the early hours of November 13.

On January 1, Jason LaBar, Kohberger's public defender in Pennsylvania where he was arrested, said his client is "eager to be exonerated of these charges" and "should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise."

Appearing on NewsNation on Friday, Perry, who served as chief justice of Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit between 1995 and 1999, then again from 2001 to 2014, was asked if Idaho prosecutors "are going to seek death in this case?"

He replied: "I certainly think based upon the Idaho statute that they will seek the death penalty. Idaho has 11 statutory aggravating factors – in a quick examination of the statute there are at least five aggravating factors that would be applicable in this case, that would justify a sentence of death.

"All you need is for the jury to unanimously find one aggravating factor, and find that that factor is not outweighed by any mitigating factors, so there's a high probability that death will be the penalty in this particular case."

In 2011, Perry presided over the trial of Casey Anthony, who was accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony in 2008, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.

Casey was found not guilty of first-degree murder in July 2011, after her defense claimed Caylee had drowned in a swimming pool, though she was convicted of lying to law enforcement. The verdict sparked a heated debate in legal and non-legal circles alike, with the case branded the "social media trial of the century" by Time Magazine.

During a separate NewsNation interview on Thursday, the parents of Kaylee Goncalves said they want Kohberger to receive the death penalty if found guilty.

Referring to life in prison, Steve Goncalves said: "That's not a punishment equivalent to being killed. That's God's role, and if you want to play God's role, then you're going to have to go answer to him."

The probable cause affidavit used to arrest Kohberger was released on Thursday, revealing he was near the student's shared house "on at least 12 occasions" prior to the murders. If also said Dylan Mortensen, one of two housemates who survived the attack unharmed, had seen "a figure clad in black clothing and a mask" around the time the murders took place.

Anne Taylor, Kohberger's Idaho public defender, has been contacted for comment.