Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger has autism, which should bar death penalty, lawyer says

Bryan Kohberger has autism, according to his lead defense lawyer, who is arguing the diagnosis means he should not face the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of the murders of a group of University of Idaho students who were killed in a 4 a.m.home invasion attack in November 2022.“Bryan C.

Kohberger, by and through his attorneys of record… hereby moves this Court to strike the death penalty as a sentencing option in his case because Mr.Kohberger’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reduces his culpability, negates the retributive and deterrent purposes of capital punishment, and exposes him to the unacceptable risk that he will be wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death,” Anne Taylor wrote in a newly unsealed, 28-page court filing.She argued that repetitive behaviors such as rocking in place or Kohberger’s failure to make eye contact would be perceived by jurors as “strange, out-of-control, and even disrespectful of such a solemn proceeding” or interpreted as guilt or shame.

She said her client had been examined by Dr.Rachel Orr, who found that Kohberger’s autism has a “significant impact on his daily life.”“Mr.

Kohberger’s ASD manifests in many of these highly prejudicial, but completely involuntary, mannerisms,” Taylor wrote.“Dr.

Orr observed that he subtly rocks his upper torso, especially while engaged in a cognitive task or listening to someone else – both of which are almost certain to occur during his trial.”Kohberger, 30, was studying for a Ph.D.in criminology at Washington State University at the time of the crimes.He is accused of a meticulously planned attack that left four students dead at the University of Idaho, just 10 miles away.

They were 21-year-old best friends Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, their 20-year-old housemate Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, also 20.Two other young women in the house survived the massacre, including one who told police she saw a masked man with �...