Kohberger live updates: Idaho killer sentenced to life, motive may never be known

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6 days ago

Families of the four University of Idaho murder victims spoke directly to their children's admitted killer, Bryan Kohberger, at his sentencing on Wednesday.
Judge Steven Hippler acknowledged Kohberger's motive may never be known as he sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count.
The students -- roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin -- were stabbed to death at the girls' off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022. On July 2, weeks before the trial was set to start, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all counts. As a part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.
Latest DevelopmentsJul 23, 1:33 PMJudge: Focusing on motive gives Kohberger relevance he seeks
Judge Steven Hippler called Bryan Kohberger a 'coward' who 'slithered through the sliding glass door at 1122 King Road' and 'now stands unmasked.'This 'unfathomable and senseless act of evil has caused immeasurable pain and loss,' Hippler said. 'No parent should ever have to bury their child. This is the greatest tragedy that can be inflicted upon a person.''We are now certain who committed these unspeakable acts of evil, but what we don't know, and what we may never know, is why,' he said.Hipper said he wants to know the motive, but that 'by continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance,' and the 'spotlight, attention and power he appears to crave.'Hipper said he cannot legally force Kohberger to speak, and said even if he did speak, there's no way to know if he would tell the truth."Even in pleading guilty, he's giving nothing hinting of remorse or redemption," Hippler said, and said he will not speak of him further beyond sentencing him. Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive life sentences and 10 years for burglary.
Jul 23, 1:26 PMKohberger declines to address court
After listening to statements from victims' families, Bryan Kohberger said in court, 'I respectfully decline' to speak.
Jul 23, 1:22 PMProsecutor shows victims' photos as families weep
Prosecutor Bill Thompson said in court that the discussion about the plea deal had to stay secret to avoid tampering potential jurors if the trial went forward. He said he respected the fact that some of the victims' relatives did not agree with the plea deal.As the families wept, Thompson displayed a photo of each victim in the courtroom. He listed each count and read the names of the victims: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin."From today forward, our memories should be focused on these innocent victims whose lives were taken," he said.The victims not only had their own families, and not just their friends and sororities and fraternities, "but this family," Thompson said, as he displayed the photo of the four victims and the two surviving roommates that was taken on Nov. 12, 2022, the day before the murders.'You can see all six of these dynamic, vibrant, loving, special, innocent faces, taken together just across the street from their residence. And barely 12 hours before four of them would be brutally murdered in their sleep,' Thompson said.Thompson said Kohberger will stand from his seat in belly chains and leg irons and will be taken into custody, where "the door will close behind him forever -- that is the closure that we seek.'
Jul 23, 1:06 PMXana Kernodle's stepfather: 'Go to hell'
Randy Davis, Xana Kernodle's stepfather, addressed the other victims' families, saying this was likely the last time they'd all be in the same room.'I love you all and I feel your pain,' he said.To Bryan Kohberger, he said while shaking, 'You're gonna go to hell … you're evil ... you took our children … you are gonna suffer, man.''Go to hell,' he concluded, as everyone clapped.
Jul 23, 1:02 PMXana Kernodle's aunt says to Kohberger, 'I've forgiven you'
Xana Kernodle's aunt, Kim Kernodle, said in court, 'This is probably gonna bother everybody, but Bryan, I'm here today to tell you I've forgiven you, because I could no longer live with that hate.''Any time you want to talk and tell me what happened … I'm here, no judgment,' she said to her niece's killer.
Xana Kernodle's dad, Jeff Kernodle, said in court that the thing he misses most is the weekend calls from his daughter.He said he was staying just a few miles away from the victims' house on the night of the murders and wishes he would have gone over to their house that night.'They would've had a chance,' he said.
Jul 23, 12:48 PMXana Kernodle's sister says her story lives on
Xana Kernodle's sister, Jazzmin Kernodle, said in court she was unsure if she'd speak today. "In the end, I realized this moment isn't about you -- it's about justice for Xana, Ethan, Kaylee and Maddie," she said.
She called her sister "a gift to each person she was able to make an impact on."Xana Kernodle was the younger sister, but Jazzmin Kernodle said she often found herself looking up to her."Xana was someone I turned to when I needed direction or advice," she said.
"She truly did live every day to the fullest. Yet her story was cut short by an act of evil," she said. "She won't be the maid of honor at my wedding, the cool aunt to my future children. ... But I will carry her with me for the rest of my life. I will live in her honor, fight to be the best kind of woman, someone she's proud of.""Xana's story doesn't end with what was taken from her. It lives through the love she gave the people she touched and the legacy her family will protect," she said.
Jul 23, 12:25 PMKaylee Goncalves' mom: 'Hell will be waiting'
Kaylee's mom, Kristi Goncalves, said to Bryan Kohberger that 'hell will be waiting.'
'You are nothing. May you continue to live your life in misery. You are officially the property of the state of Idaho, where your fellow inmates are anxiously awaiting your arrival,' she said.
Jul 23, 12:18 PMKaylee Goncalves' sister: They 'were not yours to take'
Kaylee's sister, Alivea Goncalves, said to Bryan Kohberger, 'My sister Kaylee and her best friend Maddie were not yours to take. They were not yours to study, to stalk or to silence.''They're everything you could never be: loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful,' she said.
"They would've been kind to you. If you had approached them in their everyday lives, they would've given you directions, thanked you for the compliment. ... In a world that rejected you, they would've shown mercy," she said.Goncalves said she "won't stand here and give you want you want": tears and trembling.She called him a "sociopath, psychopath, murderer," before asking him a series of questions.Her questions included, "Where is the murder weapon, the clothes you wore that night? What did you bring into the house with you? ... What were Kaylee's last words?"
"You didn't win. ... You're a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else," she said."You aren't special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. Don't ever get it twisted again. No one is scared of you today. No one is intimidated by you, no one is impressed by you, no one thinks you are important," she said.She concluded her statement by saying to Kohberger, if he hadn't attacked them in their sleep, 'Kaylee would've kicked your f------ ass."Onlookers in the courtroom clapped when Goncalves stepped down.
Jul 23, 12:04 PMKaylee Goncalves' dad: 'From this moment, we will forget you'
Steve Goncalves, dad of Kaylee Goncalves, said in court to Bryan Kohberger, "Today we are here to finish what you started. Today you've lost control.'
'Your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you,' he said.Goncalves slammed Kohberger as "foolish and stupid" for leaving his DNA behind at the crime scene. "Master's degree? You're a joke, a complete joke," he said."Nobody cares about you. ... From this moment, we will forget you. ... You picked the wrong family and we're laughing at you on your trip" to prison, he said.
Jul 23, 11:58 AMMaddie Mogen's dad reads her last Father's Day card
Maddie Mogen's dad, Ben Mogen, was choked up in court as he said, 'Maddie was my only child. … I thought we would have the rest of our lives together to be together and know each other, and I really took her for granted.''Karen and Scottie did such a great job raising her after Karen and I split up, and I'm so thankful for Scottie and the role he played in her life when I wasn't able to,' he said, recalling his battle with addiction. 'But we got to spend a lot of great times together, Maddie and I. She was my favorite person to go to a concert with.'
Mogen read in court the last thing Maddie wrote to him -- a Father's Day card: 'I hope you have the best day, I can't wait 'til we can hang out again soon. … I love the birthday card you sent me, by the way. … I hope you're doing well. I'm proud of how far you've come. Thank you for always encouraging me to do my best. Love you lots and lots.''I'm so glad I still have it,' he said of the card.
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