Bryan Kohberger sentenced to 4 life terms in prison without parole for Idaho murders

CBS News

5 days ago

Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to four life sentences without the possibility of parole on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022.
Families of the victims delivered emotional statements at the sentencing hearing, held in a courtroom in Boise.
Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves as part of a plea deal that spared him from the death penalty. The plea agreement states he will be receive four life sentences without the possibility of parole, one for each murder charge, and a 10-year sentence for a burglary charge that he also pleaded guilty to. During his plea hearing, Judge Steven Hippler said the court is not bound by the plea agreement and could impose a different sentence.
Kohberger was in the courtroom Wednesday wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. The hearing lasted about three hours, with more than a dozen family impact statements read aloud.
Chapin, Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves were killed at a home in Moscow, Idaho, during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania six weeks later. Prosecutors said that if the case had gone to trial they would have used DNA evidence that linked Kohberger to the crime scene, his online purchase history, surveillance video of Koherger's car, and cellphone data that showed him in the vicinity of the killings.
The families of the victims have been divided over the plea deal. Mogen's father told CBS News he was relieved to learn of the deal, saying it will allow his family to "actually put this behind us." The Goncalves family has bitterly criticized the agreement, and told CBS News after a gag order was lifted that they believe the plea deal gives Kohberger a chance to live a "better and more rewarding life inside" prison.
The first victim impact statement on Wednesday was read on behalf of Bethany Funke, who had lived with the murdered students and called 911 after finding their bodies.
"That was the worst day of my life, and I know it always will be," Funke said in the statement, which was read by friend Emily Alant. Funke added that she checks her room every night to ensure there is no one hiding in the space, and said she has struggled to sleep since the slayings. Alant cried as she read the statement, while Kohberger showed no emotion.
Dylan Mortensen, the other surviving roommate, was the next to speak. She was visibly distraught and took several moments to collect herself before beginning to read her statement through tears. She said she has struggled with panic attacks since the killings.
"I was barely 19 when he did this," Mortensen said. "We had just celebrated my birthday at the end of September. I should have been figuring out who I was. I should have been having the college experience and starting to establish my future. Instead, I was forced to learn how to survive the unimaginable."
Scott Laramie, Madison Mogen's stepfather, then read a victim impact statement on the behalf of himself and Mogen's mother, Karen Laramie. He remembered Mogen as someone who "always brought us joy" and who prioritized spending time with her family before she was "taken senselessly and brutally in a sudden act of evil."
"This world was a better place with her in it," Laramie said.
Karen Laramie had a second statement read on her behalf by her lawyer, Leander James. Mogen's paternal grandmother Kim Cheeley also spoke, thanking prosecutors and law enforcement officials for "bringing this case to closure."
Mogen's father, Ben Mogen, said that his daughter had already earned all of the credits necessary for her degree at the time of the slayings, and wiped his eyes as he spoke.
"Maddie was my only child that I ever had. She's the only great thing I ever did and the only thing I was ever proud of," Ben Mogen said. He recounted taking her to concerts with friends, and shared a Father's Day card that he said was the last thing his daughter ever wrote to him, where she'd written "I can't wait till we can hang out again soon."
Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, turned the podium to address Kohberger directly. Kohberger continued to not react, though he made eye contact with Steve Goncalves as he spoke.
"Today, we're here to finish what you started," Steve Goncalves said. He called Kohberger a "complete joke" and said the families of the victims "took this disaster" and kept it focused on their loved ones.
"All anyone talked about when they talked about this case was Kaylee Jade, Maddie May, Xana and Ethan," Steve Goncalves said.
He was followed by Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves' older sister, who had also been close to Mogen. She again directly spoke to Kohberger, and he maintained eye contact with her, as she called him a sociopath.
"No one is scared of you today. No one is impressed by you. No one thinks you're important," Alivea Goncalves said. There was applause in the courtroom after she finished speaking. She was followed by her and Kaylee Goncalves' mother, Kristi, who again directly addressed Kohberger. Goncalves family attorney Shannon Grey read statements from Kaylee Goncalves' aunt and grandmothers.
Jazzmin Kernodle, the older sister of Xana Kernodle, was the first member of her family to speak. She remembered her younger sister as a "kind, funny" woman who "was everyone's best friend." Her father Jeff Kernodle spoke next. He said that the night of the murders, he had been just seven miles from the house and wanted to drive over — but decided against it because he had been drinking.
"I wish I would have drunk and drove. They would have had a chance, all four of them," Jeff Kernodle said.
Next to speak was Kim Kernodle, Xana's aunt. She told Kohberger that she had "forgiven" him for the slayings.
"I no longer could live with that hate in my heart, and for me to become a better person, I have forgiven you. Any time you want to talk and tell me what happened, find my number. I'm here. … I'll be that one that will listen to you."
Kernodle's uncle Stratton Kernodle and stepfather Randy Davis also spoke briefly, with Davis receiving applause after telling Kohberger to "Go to hell." Karen Worthington, Xana Kernodle's mother, then addressed Kohberger directly, facing in his direction as she read a prepared statement. She also said she had forgiven Kohberger.
"I do not fear you or even let you rent space in my head anymore. This forgiveness has released me from any and all evil you have released on me and my family," she said.
After the families finished speaking, prosecutor Bill Thompson took the podium. He walked through the past few weeks of the case, and said the families of the victims had only been interested in a plea deal that saw Kohberger plead guilty on all counts and waive appeal on all of his motions, which would have "consumed years or decades in the future."
Thompson said the deal was kept confidential until the last minute because officials did not want to taint a prospective jury pool if the case did proceed to trial.
"Now, it is time for the judicial system to impose final judgement and close the door on this chapter of these tragedies," Thompson said.
He asked that the judge sentence Kohberger to four consecutive life sentences in prison, one for each murder, and 10 years in prison on the burglary charge. As Thompson named each victim, their photo was shown in the courtroom. He also shared a group photo of the foursome. Crying could be heard in the courtroom as Thompson spoke.
Hippler then asked the defense if they had evidence or an argument to present. The team said no.
Hippler asked Kohberger if he would like to make a statement.
"I respectfully decline," Kohberger said. It was the first time he spoke all day.
Family members could be heard murmuring, "Surprise, surprise," and, "Coward."
Hippler spoke for several minutes before sentencing Kohberger. He called Kohberger a "faceless coward" and said he was in "great awe" of the family members who had given statements. He also criticized Kohberger for failing to show remorse or regret about the slayings. He said he could not legally force Kohberger to explain why he had committed the slayings, and said he did not believe Kohberger would answer the question truthfully either way.
"There is no reason for these crimes that could approach anything resembling rationality," Hippler said. "No conceivable reason could make any sense, and in the end, the more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more we try to extract a reason, the more power and control we give to him. In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger's 15 minutes of fame."