WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Prosecutors Plan To Seek Death Penalty Against Biyad

Prosecutors Plan To Seek Death Penalty Against Biyad

By Eric Flack

(LOUISVILLE) -- On Wednesday, Said Biyad was indicted on murder charges for the slaying of his four young children. In an exclusive interview with WAVE 3, the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney says his office will seek the death penalty. WAVE 3 Investigator Eric Flack has more.

He is accused of killing his four children, ages 2 to 8. Now prosecutors say Said Biyad should die for the crimes.

"The slashing of the throats of four children, that's pretty reprehensible in anyone's book," said Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney Dave Stengel. "So yes, this would be a case where the man could end up getting the death penalty."

Stengel spoke exclusively with WAVE 3 hours after a grand jury handed down 10 criminal indictments against Biyad, including murder, attempted murder, rape, assault, and tampering with physical evidence.

Police say Biyad admitted to raping his estranged wife, then hitting her over the head with a blunt object, before slashing his kids' throats in their bedroom Friday morning. Defense attorneys can try exchanging a guilty plea for a sentence of life without parole, but Stengel said prosecutors don't have to take the deal.

"If we think that it is such a horrendous crime that it deserves a death penalty or at least the possibility of the death penalty," Stengel said, "we will go forward."

Meanwhile, Biyad's defense attorney is already working on arguments to keep him off death row.

"It is a individual, moral decision that a juror has to make," said public defender Mike Lemke.

"Whether they want to put a fellow citizen to death or not."

Lemke says his client's soft spoken nature is in stark contrast to the horrific crimes he is accused of.

"If you were to take a guy like this and not told me anything about what he had done, and just from a conversation asked if there had been something violent," Lemke said, "I would have been shocked if the answer were yes."

Stengel admits that is hard to get a death penalty handed down in just about any case, especially since the law was passed creating the life without possibility of parole sentence. Biyad has pled not guilty.

Online Reporter: Eric Flack

Online Producer: Michael Dever