IDAHO FALLS - Two attorneys who regularly handle death penalty cases have been appointed to defend a Pocatello man who admitted to shooting and killing an acquaintance in Idaho Falls. Mark Bent, 41, will be represented by James Archibald and John Thomas in his first-degree murder case for reportedly shooting and killing 23-year-old Nikolas Bird.

Archibald and Thomas have worked together on several high-profile murder cases, particularly those in which defendants faced the possibility of receiving the death penalty.

The appointment of the attorneys does not indicate whether Bent will face the death penalty. Under Idaho law, the Bonneville County Prosecutor's Office has 60 days to declare whether it intends to pursue a death sentence.

Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal said his office would wait for the court process to proceed before deciding whether to seek the death penalty.

"We have a process for determining whether to seek the death penalty, but that will not begin until after he is arraigned in district court," he said.

Idaho Code Section 19-2515 lays out the aggravating circumstances for prosecutors to consider whether a murder may warrant a death sentence.

Bent was arrested on Sept. 3. He reportedly called police to tell them he had shot Bird and that he wanted to turn himself in.

Bent also reportedly made a post on Facebook that has since been removed admitting to the shooting.

"I am saddened to say that I have committed some serious crimes today that will put me in jail for the rest of my life or lead to death," Bent wrote.

Bent goes on to write that he wanted to kill Bird because he believed Bird was responsible for the loss of his job. The post claims Bent had a falling out with a group of car enthusiasts called the Castaways Car Club and that Bird told them where Bent worked.

Neither the Facebook post or court records indicate why Bent lost his job or how Bird may have been responsible for his job loss.

On Sept. 8 several people held a vigil for Bird hosted by the car club, releasing balloons into the air in his memory.

A preliminary hearing was delayed to 9 a.m. Nov. 18 in Bonneville County Court. First-degree murder is punishable with a minimum of 10 years in prison and up to a life sentence, or the death penalty.