Idaho
What to know about Idaho’s death penalty after Chad Daybell was sentenced to death
(CNN) — Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for the murders of his wife and two of his second wife’s children this weekend, but when and whether he will be executed remain wide-open questions.
It’s typical for the appeals process in capital cases to go on for years, and they often reach the US Supreme Court before an inmate is ultimately put to death. In Idaho, the imposition of a death sentence is followed by a mandatory post-conviction review, and defendants are able to pursue an appeal after the filing of a death warrant.
Click here for complete coverage of the Chad Daybell trial
In the meantime, the high-profile nature of Daybell’s case – and the looming capital trial of Bryan Kohberger, who’s pleaded not guilty in the killings of four University of Idaho college students – will bring renewed attention to Idaho’s death penalty, which is seldom used and attracted headlines earlier this year when officials halted their first execution attempt in more than a decade.
Here’s what to know about the death penalty in Idaho.
Executions are uncommon
Executions are relatively rare in Idaho, which, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, has carried out just three executions since 1976, when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. The first was in 1994, followed by two others in 2011 and 2012.
To put this in context, Texas has put to death 580 inmates within the timeframe, DPIC’s data show – by far the most of any state. And Oklahoma, which has carried out the highest number of executions per capita, has executed 124.
Only a handful of the 27 states where the death penalty remains legal have carried out as few executions as Idaho: Kentucky, Montana and Pennsylvania have also each put to death three people since 1976. Kansas, Wyoming and Oregon have executed even fewer, with zero, one and two executions, respectively.
Additionally, Idaho’s death row housed just eight inmates prior to Daybell’s sentence, according to the Idaho Department of Corrections. California – which, it should be noted, has a population more than 21 times the size of Idaho – has 638 condemned inmates, nearly 80 times the size of Idaho’s death row.
Officials recently halted an execution
Idaho officials attempted to carry out the state’s first execution in 12 years several months ago. But they were forced to abort midway through the procedure, citing difficulties setting an intravenous line to deliver the fatal drugs for lethal injection.
That echoed difficulties seen in executions in other states, including Alabama. Officials there similarly had to call off two executions in 2022 after authorities were unable to access the inmates’ veins before their death warrants expired.
The Idaho State prison complex near Kuna is shown on February 28, the day officials halted the execution of Thomas Creech after they failed to find a vein to establish an IV line to carry out the lethal injection. (Kyle Green, AP)
The execution of Thomas Creech, scheduled in Idaho for February 28, was “unable to proceed” after eight failed attempts to establish IV access, state Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt said at the time. The execution team encountered two different issues, Tewalt said at a news conference: In some instances it was “an access issue,” and in others a “vein quality issue.”
Tewalt praised the medical team’s willingness to halt the execution, telling reporters the state’s “first objective is to carry this out with dignity, professionalism and respect,” and he disputed the suggestion the execution was a “failure.” The department said in a statement Creech’s warrant would expire while the state considered next steps.
2 execution methods, both with challenges
The decision to call off Creech’s execution also raised questions about when and how the state would endeavor to put an inmate to death in the future.
Tewalt told reporters a second attempt using lethal injection – Idaho’s main method of execution – would require the state to seek out new chemicals.
While he expressed “a high level of confidence” the state could secure the drugs, a number of states have struggled in recent years to obtain them after pharmaceutical companies began prohibiting the use of their products for that purpose. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, for example, has repeatedly postponed executions citing companies’ unwillingness to sell the drugs necessary.
Idaho recently legalized a second method of execution, with an aim toward sidestepping this kind of supply problem. Last year, Gov. Brad Little signed a new law allowing the Department of Corrections to use the firing squad if the drugs are not available.
But as of late February, the state lacked the facilities it needed to carry out an execution by firing squad, Tewalt said. In a message to corrections staff, the director said his department had been working to retrofit its execution chamber to accommodate the alternative method.
“Those initial efforts were unsuccessful because contractors who would engage in this type of work have expressed their unwillingness to work on a project related to executions,” Tewalt said, “but efforts are ongoing.”
The director added construction on the execution chamber would prevent the state from being able to use it – even for lethal injection – until the work is completed.
Idaho
Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week
After a round of showers came through this week, the Gem State is staying dry and clear for next week.
Temperatures finally started to feel winter-like as we take a tumble this weekend. Consistent 40’s the highs, and 20’s the lows.
Conditions on the valley floors are not expected to get past the mid 40’s. Showers appear to be nonexistent for the next 7 to 10 days.
We will also see some air stagnation in our area, meaning that as a high-pressure ridge moves in, not too much change is expected in the air. So, air quality may take a bit of a fall.
Not much more than cold and dry air is on the way for Idaho, but at least the sun will shine for most of the forecast.
Have a great weekend and stay warm!
Idaho
Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.
Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.
The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.
More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.
Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.
Idaho
Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University
The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.
The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.
The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.
“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”
Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.
“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”
According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.
The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.
Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:
The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.
The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.
“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.
The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.
Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.
WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.
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