BOISE -- A man accused of killing a 3-year-old girl and wounding eight other people during a stabbing spree at a Boise apartment complex is petitioning a judge for the right to shed his original name.
Timmy Kinner, 30, filed a request to change his name to "Eternal Love" Dec. 18 from the Ada County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest on murder and aggravated battery charges in June.
In the hand-written petition, Kinner wrote that he wanted to make the switch "because this is my God-given right and the title I want to be known as and remembered by."
Kinner also asked the court to waive fees associated with the name change, noting he is currently an inmate and has no money. The petition is set to go before a judge March 19.
Kinner's request may never get off the ground. Idaho law places some restrictions on name changes for both minors and convicted sexual offenders; it's unclear what rules apply to people awaiting trial on felony charges.
Prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty if Kinner is convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Ruya Kadir, who was celebrating her third birthday with other children June 30 at the Wylie Street Station apartment complex off of State Street when she was attacked. Kinner is accused of plunging a knife into Ruya and five other children, along with three adults who tried to shield them.
Ruya, grievously wounded, was airlifted to a hospital in Salt Lake City, but died from her injuries. Kinner was taken into custody outside the apartment complex; officers later fished the knife used during the rampage from a nearby canal.
All of the victims were originally from Syria, Iraq and Ethiopia, stoking fears that Kinner was intentionally targeting Boise's refugee community. But investigators say the stabbing spree does not appear to be a hate crime; rather, according to police and prosecutors, Kinner targeted the birthday party at random after a quarrel with someone else who lived at the complex.
Defense attorneys have argued the suspect is deeply mentally ill, and asked Judge Nancy Baskin to find him incompetent to stand trial, a request prosecutors have strongly opposed.
Kinner has displayed odd behavior since his arrest, loudly complaining of "sabotage" during one hearing and sending notes from jail to detectives, even setting up a meeting with them before his attorneys found out and intervened. But information about any specific mental health conditions or diagnoses have never been discussed in court or entered in court documents.
The trial, originally slated for this month, was pushed back to January 2020 as the battle over competency continues. Baskin has not yet made a ruling on whether or not Kinner is fit for trial.
The judge has held several evidentiary hearings that are closed to media and the public, with the most recent held Tuesday afternoon. It is expected she will rule on Kinner's competency after those hearings are complete, but has not revealed a timeline for that decision.
