Bryan Kohberger speaks just three words when given chance to explain why he killed four Idaho college students
By Alexandra Koch
Published July 23, 2025
Killer Bryan Kohberger spoke just three words in court on Wednesday when he was given a chance to explain why he killed four University of Idaho students in November 2022.
"I respectfully decline," Kohberger said, partially standing up.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without parole for the murders, plus 10 years for burglary and $290,000 in financial penalties to the victims' families.
"The more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more power and control we give to him," Judge Steven Hippler said. "In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger's 15 minutes of fame."
IDAHO VICTIMS' FAMILIES TO ADDRESS KILLER DIRECTLY AT KOHBERGER SENTENCING
Earlier this month, Kohberger pleaded guilty to the Nov. 13, 2022, murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
He admitted to sneaking into the students' off-campus house in the early morning hours and killing the friends with a Ka-Bar knife.
Prosecutors said Kohberger killed Mogen and Goncalves in an upstairs bedroom before killing Kernodle on the main floor. He then attacked Chapin, who was asleep in a bedroom.
TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON BRYAN KOHBERGER'S PLEA DEAL AHEAD OF CRUCIAL IDAHO MURDERS SENTENCING
During a news conference Wednesday following Kohberger's sentencing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that if it were up to President Donald Trump, he would have "forced this monster" to explain himself.
"We are so sorry for the grief and the pain that you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer. Our nation grieves with you and we will never forget the precious souls who were lost in this horrific act of evil," she said. "If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls."
"May God bless everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy," Leavitt added. "Especially the parents who lost their children."
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Before the sentencing, prosecutors asked a Boise judge to extend the order barring Kohberger from contacting the victims' families for an additional 99 years.
The current no contact orders expire Jan. 5, 2027.
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report. Print Close
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