Bryan Kohberger's Plea Deal Gives Him 'Upper Hand' Against Victims' Families, Allows Him Keep 'Secrets,' Expert Says
The criminology grad student, who is accused of the gruesome killings of four University of Idaho students, initially had a not-guilty plea entered on his behalf months ago.
However, Bryan Kohberger shockingly changed his mind ahead of his trial in August, choosing to take a plea deal that would block the death penalty and cancel his impending trial.
On Wednesday, Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four Idaho students, took a plea deal, a move that has left many surprised.
While the deal spares federal prosecutors the time and resources required for the trial scheduled in August, a crime author has warned that it may carry implications that are not favorable to the victims' families.
"With no trial, he gets to keep certain secrets. The air of mystery and in some ways that gives him the upper hand," author Jeff Guinn told the New York Post.
Guinn then emphasized that such secrets include details of what inspired Kohberger to allegedly murder Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in their shared home.
Additionally, it will also likely remain unknown if one or all were the intended targets and whether he had any form of relationship with them before the murders.
Although Kohberger has not revealed why he changed his mind at the last minute, Guinn believes he made the decision to regain control of the narrative surrounding him, especially since the deal means that the death penalty is no longer on the table.
"If he decides he wants to make a public statement, he's taking control through this deal because he's still living, breathing, and talking. As long [as] he can talk, he's got some control," said Guinn to the outlet.
The Waco author also claimed that Kohberger could potentially go on to gain even more notoriety during his prison life, much like the infamous late criminal Charles Manson, who was imprisoned for life for the murders carried out by his cult.
"[Charles] Manson set the paradigm for how much notoriety you can get, for how much you can live off your bloody exploits by getting that life imprisonment. Periodically, he would say or do something crazy and get his name back in the news," Guinn shared.
He added, "In [Kohberger's] case, if you commit this kind of crime, you tend to think of yourself as sort of a God-like figure anyway. The plea gives him a further chance to exist in a way that will get more attention, and make him seem [to himself] more superhuman … I doubt he's taking this plea to quietly disappear into the penal system."
Ahead of the deal being signed, one of the victims' families expressed dissatisfaction with the prosecutors' decision.
"Idaho has failed. They failed me. They failed my whole family," said Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves, in an interview on NBC's "Today" show.
"It's my daughter. It's our children. How can you say it's just when you haven't even talked to us to see what justice looks like for us?" he added.
Goncalves further decried the manner in which the deal was made, revealing that the prosecutors chose to move ahead despite the "hard no" from his family.
"They told us it's not really about us, it's about their process. Just shut up and get on board and deal with it, that's really what they told us," Gonclaves continued.
In a chat with TMZ, the family of Xana Kernodle also expressed frustration, noting that prosecutors had floated the idea of a plea deal a few days ago and they strongly opposed it, as they wanted Kohberger to face a jury.
Kim Kernodle, Xana's auntie, was especially furious, telling the news outlet that the prosecutors claimed the plea deal was to help "spare the families" the pain of a trial and prevent them from seeing the gruesome crime scene photos.
However, Kim blasted this as ridiculous, saying, "We know the graphics. They were not trying to spare us."
Bryan Kohberger was hit with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary in connection with the brutal killings of four University of Idaho students.
He was arrested in December 2022 and has since spent years attempting to have the charges dismissed, challenging the death penalty, and filing multiple motions to delay the trial.
During the hearing on Wednesday, to sign the plea deal, District Court Judge Steven Hippler asked Kohberger if he killed each victim "willingly, unlawfully, deliberately and with premeditation and malice with forethought."
To this, the 30-year-old replied boldly, "Yes," according to E! News.
Judge Hippler further noted that Kohberger's response was an "explicit admission to committing these crimes," and that it provided the court with a "factual basis" to accept his guilty plea into the record.
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