BOISE, Idaho — A man suspected of going on a stabbing rampage at a children’s party, killing a little girl celebrating her third birthday and wounding eight others, will face the death penalty, prosecutors in Idaho said Thursday.
Timmy Kinner, a homeless man who had been asked to leave a Boise apartment complex the day before, returned the following day and began attacking children and others at the outdoor birthday party, police said. A judge this summer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to one count of first-degree murder and eight counts of aggravated battery in connection with the June 30 attack.
“After careful consideration, we have concluded that pursuing the death penalty is appropriate in this case,” Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts said in a statement.
The Ada County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Kinner, declined to comment.
Police have said Kinner didn’t know any of the victims, who were all refugees from Ethiopia, Syria and Iraq. Police have said the attack does not appear to be a hate crime.
Kinner, 30, has refused to meet with a psychologist to evaluate his mental health.
Ruya Kadir was at her third birthday party — complete with a pink doll-shaped cake and a Disney princess banner — when police say Kinner, armed with a large knife, attacked. Ruya and five other children were badly injured, along with the three adults who tried to protect them.
Some children hid in a closet until police told them it was safe to come out.
Police say Kinner had recently been asked to leave the apartment complex because of bad behavior. He was arrested shortly after the stabbing. Investigators recovered the knife he was believed to have used in a nearby canal.