Murder of four people in Idaho: Suspicious student demanded death penalty

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The quadruple homicide in Idaho caused nationwide horror: Four college students, three women and a man, were found stabbed to death in an apartment in November 2022. Ethan C. († 20), Madison M. († 21), Xana K. († 20) and Kaylee G. († 21) are the victims – and the police are initially in the dark. For weeks she searches for the killer.

Ultimately, partly thanks to the help of DNA traces, criminology PhD candidate Bryan K.* (28) is arrested. His motive? Completely unclear. Now the prosecutor wants to have him sentenced to death. The prosecutors have informed the competent court of this intention. Prosecutor Bill Thompson wrote that the murders were “singularly gruesome, brutal and inhumane” and that Bryan K. “displayed a complete disregard for human life”.

Random victims?

It is still unclear whether there was a connection between the victims and the suspect – or whether the four were killed indiscriminately. The act caused fear and terror on campus at the time.

The suspect remained silent about the allegations at a hearing in May. As a result, after reading the charges in the courtroom of the city of Moscow, the judge pleaded not guilty on behalf of the accused. In the United States, judges have the right to enter a not guilty plea for a defendant who refuses to plead guilty to the charge. This is to ensure that the process can continue.

He shows a “tendency to murder”

The prosecution then had 60 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty. Now the prosecutor’s office listed five aggravating circumstances that warranted a death penalty – including that a defendant had shown a “tendency to murder” that was likely to pose a “sustained threat to society”.

The suspect, who received his doctorate in criminal justice and criminology from nearby Washington State University, was arrested late last year at his parental home in the northeastern US state of Pennsylvania. (neo/SDA)

*Name known

Source: Blick