logo
Doctoral student faces life term for Idaho killings, but motive may remain unknown

Doctoral student faces life term for Idaho killings, but motive may remain unknown

Reuters14 hours ago
BOISE, Idaho, July 23 (Reuters) - When relatives of four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in 2022 attend a court session on Wednesday to see a judge sentence the convicted killer, the outcome promises to be, in all likelihood, a foregone conclusion.
Bryan Kohberger, 30, a former criminal-justice doctoral student, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or appeal under a deal with prosecutors that spared him the death penalty in return for his guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder.
The proceedings in a county courtroom in Boise, the state capital, also will afford family members the chance to directly address Kohberger through the presentation of victim impact statements.
But relatives of the victims - Ethan Chapin, 20, his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, 20, and her roommates Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 - may very well remain baffled about why their four loved ones were slain on Nov. 13, 2022.
In pleading guilty on July 2, Kohberger admitted to the underlying allegations that he had crept into an off-campus house under cover of pre-dawn darkness and stabbed the four victims to death with a hunting knife, then slipped away. Two other women living at the house survived unharmed.
But the killer made no mention of motive. Authorities likewise have yet to offer an explanation for what might have driven Kohberger to commit the crime, and how or why he singled out his victims. Neither does the plea agreement require Kohberger to provide any such insights.
Under Idaho's judicial rules, he will have one last chance to address the court just before the judge passes sentence. Such statements, or allocutions, typically are used by defendants to express remorse or mitigating circumstances.
A spokesperson for the state judicial system said on Tuesday the court has not been notified as to whether Kohberger or his attorney planned to speak at the hearing.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the case on his Truth Social platform earlier this week, saying he hoped the judge in the case, Steven Hippler, "makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders."
Some legal experts have voiced doubt that Kohberger will shed any light on the lingering mysteries surrounding his actions, even if he chooses to address the court at all. With the four consecutive life terms he faces virtually pre-ordained under the plea deal, there would seem nothing to be gained by Kohberger breaking his silence.
He would be free to speak out about the case in future media interviews. And some documents that remain sealed in the case may eventually be opened to public scrutiny.
During the plea hearing earlier this month, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson sought to rule out one possible avenue of speculation, declaring that there was no evidence of sexual assault among the victims or a "sexual component" to the killings.
At the time of the murders, Kohberger was pursuing a doctorate degree in criminal justice at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, a short distance from the University of Idaho campus in the neighboring northwestern Idaho town of Moscow.
Thompson has said Kohberger planned the violence in advance, purchasing the knife online about eight months before the killings. The knife's sheath was recovered, but the murder weapon was never found.
As evidence Kohberger sought to cover up his crimes, Thompson said investigators found he had meticulously cleaned the inside of his car, which he used as the getaway vehicle.
Authorities have said they linked Kohberger to the murders using DNA evidence, cell phone data and video footage. He was arrested weeks after the killings in Pennsylvania, where he was visiting family during the Christmas holidays, and was returned to Idaho to face charges.
The families of the victims were divided about the plea deal, with some relatives expressing anger that they were not consulted before the agreement was reached.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Flight attendant who police say secretly recorded girls in airplane bathroom sentenced to 18.5 years
Flight attendant who police say secretly recorded girls in airplane bathroom sentenced to 18.5 years

The Independent

time3 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Flight attendant who police say secretly recorded girls in airplane bathroom sentenced to 18.5 years

A flight attendant accused of taping his cellphone to the lid of an airplane toilet to secretly film young girls was sentenced to just under 20 years in prison Wednesday. Former American Airlines flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III received a sentence of 18.5 years, followed by five years of supervised release. Boston U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick called his behavior 'appalling" and said child victims' 'innocence has been lost' because of his actions. Thompson was arrested and charged in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia, after authorities said a 14-year-old girl on his flight discovered his secret recording setup in the lavatory. He was indicted last year on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor. He apologized in court Wednesday, describing his actions as 'selfish, perverse and wrong.' Police alleged Thompson, of Charlotte, North Carolina, had recordings of four other girls between the ages of 7 and 14 using aircraft lavatories over a 9-month period. In a sentencing memorandum submitted in court, U.S. government attorneys said Thompson 'robbed five young girls of their innocence and belief in the goodness of the world and the people they would encounter in it, instead leaving them with fear, mistrust, insecurity, and sadness.' Thompson, who will serve his sentence at FMC Butner in North Carolina, intends to undergo sex offender-specific treatment, his attorneys said. A lawyer for Thompson said via email Wednesday he wouldn't be commenting.

Man, 27, charged with rape after woman ‘attacked in popular park'
Man, 27, charged with rape after woman ‘attacked in popular park'

The Sun

time4 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Man, 27, charged with rape after woman ‘attacked in popular park'

A 27-year-old man has been charged with rape after a woman was "attacked in a popular park". The horrific incident took place between 9pm and 10pm at Sutton Lawn. Cops were rushed to the scene on June 29 to support the victim while a team of detectives carried out extensive enquiries. Malik has now been charged with three counts of rape and possession of cannabis. He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (22 July) and was remanded in custody until 19 August 2025. Detective Inspector Nicole Milner, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'The victim continues to be supported by officers and has been informed about this important development in our investigation. 'We know the incident caused concern in the Sutton-in-Ashfield area so I hope this charge provides reassurance to the wider community.'

Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports
Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports

Reuters

time4 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports

WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The disclosure about Trump's appearance in the Justice Department's records on the case threatened to deepen a political crisis that has engulfed his administration for weeks. Some Trump supporters for years have fanned conspiracy theories about Epstein's clients and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The White House sent mixed signals following the story. It released an initial statement characterizing it as "fake news," but a White House official later told Reuters the administration was not denying that Trump's name appears in some files, noting that Trump was already included in a tranche of materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. During her trial, Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the Journal's report. Trump has faced intense backlash from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise. The Justice Department said in a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, sparking anger among some prominent Trump supporters who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement that did not directly address the Journal's report. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts," the officials said. "As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." The newspaper reported that Bondi and her deputy told Trump at a White House meeting that his name, as well as those of "many other high-profile figures," appeared in the files. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. That motion stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents; the department has also requested the unsealing of transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to later indictments brought against Epstein and Maxwell. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." Reuters has not confirmed the authenticity of the alleged letter. Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. Trump and his advisers have long engaged in conspiracy theories, including about Epstein, that have resonated with Trump's political base. The Make American Great Again movement's broad refusal to accept his administration's argument that those theories are now unfounded is unusual for a politician who is accustomed to enjoying relatively unchallenged loyalty from his supporters. Epstein hung himself in prison, according to the New York City chief medical examiner. But his connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation that his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedeviled Trump and his fellow Republicans, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. His decision temporarily stymied a push by Democrats and some Republicans for a vote on a bipartisan resolution that would require the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related documents. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as "ridiculous." More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Trump administration is hiding information about Epstein's clients, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store