Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to Idaho murders
On Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Judge Steven Hippler approved a plea agreement that spares Kohberger, 30, from the death penalty. In exchange, he will serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
As part of the agreement, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He did so with both of his parents in the gallery, with his father wincing as Judge Steven Hippler formally accepted Kohberger's agreement.
Sentencing has been set for July 23.
The case has drawn national attention since the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, when four students — Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves — were found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho.
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Kohberger, a former Ph.D. criminology student at nearby Washington State University, was arrested in December 2022 after a cross-country investigation.
Immediately following the hearing, the Mogen family issued a heartfelt statement through their attorney, Leander James, on the steps of the courthouse.
"We now embark on a new path," James said on behalf of the family. "We turn from tragedy and mourning. We turn from darkness and uncertainty of the legal process to the light of the future. We have closure. We embark on a path of hope and healing. We invite all of those who have mourned with us to join us, and we wish you well."
The sentiment drew a stark contrast compared to remarks made by Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, as he arrived at the courthouse but chose not to attend the hearing.
"He's going to own this," Steve Goncalves said of Judge Steven Hippler. "He's gonna inherit what [Bill] Thompson did. And he's the only one that can fix it. He's the one who can make it right. He needs to protect those other surviving victims and make this person say that they had nothing to do with it. He did it solely, he did it all on his own. And nobody else was responsible."
When asked by reporters if he felt justice was served, the grieving father went on to slam the agreement that will have Kohberger serve four life sentences, saying, "No, of course not. It's daycare."
According to court documents, DNA from a knife sheath left at the crime scene matched Kohberger's, and cellphone data placed him near the victims' house multiple times before the killings. Surveillance footage also captured a white Hyundai Elantra in the area.
A grand jury indicted Kohberger in May 2023, and a judge initially entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. Prosecutors later announced their intent to seek the death penalty, citing the heinous nature of the crimes.
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