Puyallup Man Faces Death Penalty In Cab Driver Murder: Report

SANDPOINT, ID – The Puyallup man charged with with killing a cabbie in northern Idaho was told this week that he'll face the death penalty when he goes to trial next month. Jacob Coleman was charged in August with the murder of 22-year old Gagandeep Singh.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reports that prosecutor Louis Marshall filed court papers earlier this week letting Coleman's lawyers know that his office plans to prove aggravating factors in the killing.

That could lead to the death penalty for Coleman.

Bonner County says that Coleman had flown to Spokane with the intention of attending Gonzaga University.

When he approached housing officials, they told him that they had no record of him being a student.

"Gonzaga University has no record of an application for admission from Jacob Coleman of Puyallup, WA.," spokeswoman Mary Joan Hahn said in a statement at the time. "As Mr. Coleman was not enrolled as a student, he was never assigned to campus housing and was informed of this fact by the Housing and Residence Life Office."

After being turned away, Coleman made his way to the airport in Spokane where, officials say, he got into the cab driven by Singh and asked to be driven to a location near the northern Idaho city of Sandpoint.

Along the way, officials say that Coleman asked to stop at a store where he bought a knife.

At one point, Singh apparently became suspicious and stopped the cab.

That's when Coleman allegedly killed him.

Coleman has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin next month.

Patch's Neal McNamera contributed to this report.