Bryan Kohberger — the alleged quadruple Idaho murderer — could die by bullet if he’s convicted … that is, assuming a local lawmaker there can get a new bill passed into law.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican state congressman, introduced legislation last week in Idaho’s House — calling on firing squads to be reinstated as a means of execution … but only on the condition that lethal injection chemicals are unattainable in a timely manner. In other words, if you can’t shoot ’em up … shoot ’em. That’s literally the essence of the bill.
New bill in Idaho spearheaded by Rep. Bruce Skaug could have Bryan Kohberger facing a firing squad — if the accused Idaho killer is found guilty.
The bill was introduced because Idaho has been unable to procure the drugs needed for lethal injections.
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Indeed, the language spells it out clear as day — lethal injection should be the #1 option if it’s on the table, but if it’s determined by Idaho’s DOC that the drugs needed to put someone to death intravenously aren’t within reach in a matter of 5 days after a death sentence is issued … there should be no delay in opting for a firing squad to do the job.
Apparently, the reason this is being floated at all is because it’s actually quite difficult to get a hold of the lethal injection cocktail — in Idaho, anyway. Skaug says there’ve been too many people sitting on death row avoiding their due justice ’cause there’s no viable way to off them under the current parameters/available resources. His solution … do it old school.
Skaug’s bill says the director of the IDOC can figure out the logistics behind how to deploy a firing squad, what kind of weapons to use and whatnot — but he’s saying they oughta be brought back. BTW, fun fact … firing squads were technically legal in Idaho until 2009, although they weren’t used there in the state in recent history. Other states have though.
The last guy to die by firing squad in the U.S. was Ronnie Lee Gardner back in 2010 out in S. Carolina. Utah has also used them in the somewhat recent past, including notorious murderer Gary Gilmore — who was fired upon in 1977. It’s rare, but it happens sometimes.
Now, as for whether this bill actually has a chance at passing … well, we’ll see. It still needs a public hearing in the Ways and Means committee before even being considered to be sent to the full House for a vote. Only then will we know if other lawmakers are into the idea.
Of course, Kohberger still needs to go trial as well — and prosecutors will have to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he’s the killer. That said, the evidence sounds damning … and if he’s found guilty, the death penalty will almost surely be handed down to him.