Idaho is on the brink of making history as it inches closer to becoming the first state to adopt the firing squad as its primary method of execution.
This development comes just months before the commencement of the trial of Bryan Kohberger, a college murder suspect.
Presently, only a handful of states, including Idaho, Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, permit the use of firing squads for executions. However, none of these states have adopted it as their primary method of capital punishment, as per data shared by the Death Penalty Information Center with the Idaho Capital Sun.
The Idaho Capital Sun reported that House Bill 37, which proposes this change, has successfully passed the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee and is now set for a vote on the Senate floor.
Currently, Idaho employs lethal injection as its primary method of execution, with nine individuals awaiting their fate on death row. However, the botched lethal injection of convicted serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech last year has raised concerns about the efficacy of this method.
Representative Bruce Skaug, the sponsor of the bill, has been a vocal advocate for the firing squad as a more reliable and humane alternative to lethal injection. "I, along with many others, believe the firing squad is more certain, has less appellate issues, and is more humane than other forms of execution," Skaug stated to Fox News Digital.
Creech's failed execution marked the fourth instance of a condemned inmate surviving a scheduled lethal injection in the U.S. in recent years.
Despite the growing discourse around the use of firing squads, not all lawmakers are in favor of the bill. "Its cruel, and its inhumane," Senator Dan Foreman, R-Viola, expressed to the committee, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun. "I think, quite frankly, its beneath the dignity of the state of Idaho. I say that with no animosity directed at anybody, but since Im sitting here, I have an obligation to tell you how I feel on any given bill." Foreman was the lone Republican on the committee to oppose the bill.
For House Bill 37 to become law, it must secure approval from both the Idaho House and Senate and evade the governors veto.
The progression of this bill coincides with the prosecution's pursuit of the death penalty for Kohberger, who stands accused of the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students.
Edwina Elcox, a Boise-based defense attorney who has been closely monitoring the case, suggested to Fox News Digital that Kohberger's mental health could potentially serve as a mitigating factor that could spare his life, should he be convicted.
Elcox explained, "I would imagine those records were given to the prosecution because there is something the defense wants them to consider. Obviously, there is no insanity defense in Idaho. So, whatever those records show is likely as some sort of mitigation."
Court documents reveal that Kohberger's mental health records were handed over on January 9, nearly two months after Ada County Judge Steven Hippler ruled that Kohberger could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Kohberger's trial is slated for later this year, where he will face four charges of first-degree murder and an additional charge of felony burglary. A judge has entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment.
This report includes contributions from Michael Ruiz of Fox News Digital.
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