Idaho is on the verge of becoming the first U.S. state to adopt the firing squad as its primary method of execution. This development comes just months before the trial of Bryan Kohberger, accused of murdering four University of Idaho students.
Currently, Idaho, Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Mississippi permit firing squads, but none prioritize it as the main execution method, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Lethal injection remains the primary method in Idaho, where nine individuals are currently on death row.
House Bill 37, which would make the firing squad the primary execution method, recently passed the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee and is now headed to the Senate floor for a vote. Rep. Bruce Skaug, the bill's sponsor, argues that the firing squad is more reliable and humane than lethal injection, citing the botched execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech last year. Creech was the fourth death row inmate in recent years to survive a scheduled lethal injection.
Despite growing discussions about firing squads, the bill faces opposition. Senator Dan Foreman, a Republican, voiced concerns about the method's cruelty and believes it diminishes Idaho's dignity. He was the sole Republican committee member to oppose the bill.
For the bill to become law, it requires approval from both the House and Senate, and must avoid a gubernatorial veto. This legislative push coincides with prosecutors seeking the death penalty for Kohberger. Defense attorney Edwina Elcox suggests Kohberger's mental health records, submitted to the prosecution, might be presented as a mitigating factor during his trial. The trial is slated for later this year, with Kohberger facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He has pleaded not guilty.
