Attorney for Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger to lead defense in second capital case

The lead attorney for Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, now will simultaneously lead the defense in a second high-profile North Idaho capital murder case.

Anne Taylor, Kohberger’s top public defender, was assigned Wednesday to head up the defense for Skylar Meade, according to court records obtained by the Idaho Statesman. The Idaho prisoner is charged with killing a Juliaetta man in Nez Perce County after escaping from corrections officials at a hospital in Boise during a shootout in March.

Like Kohberger, Meade, 32, faces the death penalty if found guilty by a jury. Kohberger’s murder trial is scheduled to start in June 2025, while Meade is set to be arraigned Thursday at the Nez Perce County Courthouse.

Initially, Lewiston-based private attorney Rick Cuddihy was assigned to represent Meade. But Cuddihy is qualified only to act as co-counsel in a death penalty-eligible defense, which required appointing a lead to Meade’s case.

Taylor is one of 13 public defenders in the state approved by the Idaho Public Defense Commission to work as the lead in a death penalty case. She’s also the only one of the group based in North Idaho.

Taylor left her position last month as chief of the Kootenai County Public Defender’s Office and has transitioned into private practice. Attorney Jay Logsdon, who is co-counsel on the Kohberger defense team, is now acting as Kootenai County’s interim chief for the public defender’s office.

A representative at Taylor’s office declined to comment when reached by phone Wednesday by the Statesman. Taylor also did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Earlier this year, Taylor appeared before an Idaho Senate committee to explain how the small group of death penalty-eligible public defenders in the state creates a limit on the number of death penalty cases prosecutors in Idaho can pursue at one time.

“Being one of 13 means that I am one of the few in Idaho — I’m the only in North Idaho — that can handle a death penalty case,” Taylor told the committee in March. “Since we can only have two at a time, you can imagine how fast those obligations will fill up.”

Taylor was assigned to Kohberger’s case in December 2022, after he was arrested. He is charged in the stabbing deaths of U of I students Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, each 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, each 20. Prosecutors announced in June 2023 that they’ll seek the death penalty for Kohberger if he is convicted.

Investigation ongoing in second death

In March, Meade, who was serving a 10-year prison sentence at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise after prosecutors said he faked an injury. Meade had coordinated a plan to escape from the Boise hospital with the help of alleged co-conspirator Nicholas Umphenour, authorities said.

Umphenour has been accused of shooting two corrections officers while they loaded Meade into the prison van outside of the hospital, according to testimony from law enforcement during one of Meade’s hearings. The third officer was shot and injured by a Boise officer, the police agency said. All of the officers survived.

The men were able to escape custody and drove six hours to the north, where they encountered 83-year-old James Mauney north of Lewiston while he was walking his dogs, according to Idaho State Police. His body was later found in a desolate area. Meade is accused of shooting Mauney in the head in an attempt to rob him, according to an indictment obtained by the Statesman.

In their filing seeking the death penalty, prosecutors in Nez Perce County alleged that Meade had “utter disregard” for human life and has “exhibited a propensity to commit murder.” To have someone receive a death sentence, prosecutors have to prove that there were aggravated circumstances to the killing.

Meade also is a suspect in a Clearwater County killing. Deputies from the neighboring county found the body of Gerald “Don” Henderson, 72, in his cabin outside of Orofino. Police said shackles that belonged to Meade, along with Mauney’s dogs, were found in the cabin.

Meade and Umphenour have been indicted and charged in Mauney’s death, but they haven’t received any charges in the killing of Henderson.

Idaho State Police previously said the case remained under investigation. ISP spokesperson Aaron Snell did not respond last week to an email seeking an update on the investigation.

Both Meade and Umphenour were also charged with crimes in Ada County. Meade pleaded guilty to five charges, three of which were related to the escape, and was sentenced in mid-July to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.

Umphenour is still facing charges in Ada County and has a jury trial scheduled for October, court records showed.