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Saudi Gazette
11 minutes ago
- Saudi Gazette
Idaho student killer heads to prison, but mysteries in the case remain
WASHINGTON — Weeks before he was due to stand trial, after years of professing his innocence, Bryan Kohberger made a shocking decision — he was pleading guilty. The 30-year-old faced the death penalty for the gruesome murders of four students, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in their home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. The plea deal spares him his life - but the abrupt ending leaves relatives of the victims with conflicted feelings and many questions unanswered. The state made a "deal with the devil", Kaylee Goncalves's father Steve told reporters. Like others, he had lingering questions about the mysteries surrounding the case, including a motive. But for Ben Mogen, Madison's father, the deal marks a moment of closure for a family that had dreaded a gruelling trial after years of being thrust into the national spotlight. "It's been this nightmare that's approaching in our heads," Mogen told the New York was a typical Saturday night out for four young college students near the tree-lined University of Idaho campus, weeks before the Thanksgiving Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, went to a party at his fraternity. Meanwhile, best friends, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, went to a bar and ended the night with a food truck visit, before they all returned to their home just down the road from campus around 02:00 local later, in the early morning of 13 November 2022, a masked attacker would park his car behind their home on King Road and enter through a sliding glass door. He would climb the stairs to the third floor, roaming from bedroom to bedroom, stabbing the four young students, while leaving two others in the house killer left behind a grisly scene, spattering the walls with blood before he was spotted in a ski mask by one of the two surviving roommates on his way out through the glass more than a month, the public had no idea who committed such a horrible and violent crime. The mystery - and the nationwide attention it attracted - left the small Idaho town reeling while obsessive amateur internet sleuths tried to fill in the on 30 December, after weeks of unanswered questions, police announced they had arrested a suspect, Kohberger, at his family home hundreds of miles away in the Pocono Mountains in three years later, there is no public explanation why Kohberger murdered the four students, to whom he had no known himself has not offered any reasons, only entering a guilty plea in court to planning and carrying out the and members of the public have sought answers, digging into Kohberger's past, and finding old writings online about struggles with depression, his lack of remorse and a former heroin had a fascination with criminals, studying under true crime writer and forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland, who expressed shock that a man she viewed as polite and respectful could have committed such crimes."I thought, 'they have to have this wrong,'" she told the New York Times. "It's not the Bryan Kohberger that I know."Kohberger would eventually pursue a criminology doctorate at Washington State University, where he was fired from his job as a teaching assistant for evaluating students too released documentaries and books - including one by thriller novelist James Patterson - have speculated about his motive, suggesting that he was angry about romantic rejections, or even that he was trying to emulate misogynist killer Elliot Rodger.A gag order in the case prevented those close to the investigation from speaking out. But last week, an Idaho judge lifted the order, saying the public's right to information was "paramount given the fact that a plea has been entered"."The media frenzy, as it has been described, will continue regardless," Judge Steven Hippler the weeks following the murders, University of Idaho students were on edge, waiting for answers and an arrest in the deaths of their four a killer still on the loose, many fled the leafy town of 25,000 residents, which had not seen a murder for five police went weeks without naming a suspect or even a murder weapon, an online community - frustrated for answers - formed and began to of amateur crime sleuths took to TikTok and other social media sites to sift through clues. A private Facebook group about the case gained more than 30,000 and friends of the victims were bombarded with messages, some accusing - without any evidence - grieving roommates and others who were close to the victims of being involved in the descended on the small college town, trying to access the boarded house, surrounded with caution tape. The frenzy frustrated local law enforcement."There is speculation, without factual backing, stoking community fears and spreading false facts," the Moscow Police Department said at the the scenes, investigators were combing through thousands of tips from the public, cell phone records and video pieces of evidence helped them eventually piece together the puzzle.A white Hyundai Elantra car captured in footage near the scene of the crime matched Kohberger's vehicle. Cell phone records put the 30-year-old near the Moscow off-campus home at the time of the murders, and suggested he drove by the house repeatedly leading up to, then hours after, the crime, before roommates learned of the horrible the most important piece of evidence came from a key item left behind: a knife sheath with DNA that matched a sample taken from trash at Kohberger's family home in Pennsylvania, where officials would finally track him down during his holiday 1122 King Road, just a few streets away from the centre of the University of Idaho's campus, the grey-shuttered three-story home no longer sits on a slope.A year after the murders, the school decided to tear down the off-campus house where the four students were killed, calling it a "grim reminder"."[I]t is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue," the university said at the time, eliciting mixed reactions from the victims' a guilty plea for Kohberger now secured, Mogen's family agrees that it is time to turn from "tragedy and mourning" to "the light of the future".Her father has said the marketing student was "known for her ability to make others smile and laugh".Goncalves, Mogen's good friend, was a "defender and protector" of her family who "did absolutely everything she set her mind to", relatives mother said her son, who was a triplet, was "the life of the party" and "the kindest person".Kernodle was a strong-willed student who was with her friends "all the time", her father honour their memories, university students last year built a circular steel structure engraved with the four students' names, where visitors have come to lay flower bouquets, stones, candles and notes remembering their lost in a grassy memorial garden, the top of the structure lights up at night, one of the sole remaining signs of a tragedy that shook the small Idaho town. — BBC
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Families of the Idaho students Bryan Kohberger stabbed to death are set to see him sentenced
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole this week for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. Wednesday's sentencing hearing will give the families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves the opportunity to describe the anguish they've felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University when he broke into a nearby rental home through a kitchen sliding door and killed the four friends who appeared to have no connection with him. Police initially had no suspects, and the killings terrified the normally quiet community in the small, western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe. But investigators had a few critical clues. A knife sheath left near Mogen's body had a single source of male DNA on the button snap, and surveillance videos showed a white Hyundai Elantra near the rental home around the time of the murders. Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect, and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings. He initially stood silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a 'not guilty' plea on his behalf. Both the investigation and the court case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some self-styled armchair web-sleuths pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community. As the criminal case unfolded, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson announced that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted. The court-defense team, led by attorney Anne Taylor, challenged the validity of the DNA evidence, unsuccessfully pushed to get theories about possible 'alternate perpetrators' admitted in court, and repeatedly asked the judge to take the death penalty off of the table. But those efforts largely failed, and the evidence against Kohberger was strong. With an August trial looming, Kohberger reached a plea deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop their efforts to get a death sentence in exchange for Kohberger's guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. Both sides agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus an additional 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal any issues in the case. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Families of the Idaho students Bryan Kohberger stabbed to death are set to see him sentenced
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole this week for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. Wednesday's sentencing hearing will give the families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves the opportunity to describe the anguish they've felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University when he broke into a nearby rental home through a kitchen sliding door and killed the four friends who appeared to have no connection with him. Police initially had no suspects, and the killings terrified the normally quiet community in the small, western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe. But investigators had a few critical clues. A knife sheath left near Mogen's body had a single source of male DNA on the button snap, and surveillance videos showed a white Hyundai Elantra near the rental home around the time of the murders. Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect, and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings. He initially stood silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a 'not guilty' plea on his behalf. Both the investigation and the court case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some self-styled armchair web-sleuths pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community. As the criminal case unfolded, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson announced that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted. The court-defense team, led by attorney Anne Taylor, challenged the validity of the DNA evidence, unsuccessfully pushed to get theories about possible 'alternate perpetrators' admitted in court, and repeatedly asked the judge to take the death penalty off of the table. But those efforts largely failed, and the evidence against Kohberger was strong. With an August trial looming, Kohberger reached a plea deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop their efforts to get a death sentence in exchange for Kohberger's guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. Both sides agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus an additional 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal any issues in the case.
New York Post
11 hours ago
- New York Post
Bryan Kohberger has one chance at his sentencing to give his victims' families relief — will he do it?
Bryan Kohberger will have a chance to speak at his sentencing on Wednesday — but will he answer the question everyone is asking? The sentence that will be handed down to Kohberger is certain: four lifetimes in prison without the possibility of parole or appeal. But it's still unclear whether Kohberger will explain why he butchered four University of Idaho students as they slept — and how he chose his victims. Prosecutors' deal with the failed criminology PhD student spares him the possibility of facing a firing squad — Idaho's prefered form of execution — and avoids a protracted trial. But the agreement made no stipulation that he must explain why he killed Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, in their off-campus house in November 2022. 3 Brian Kohberger plead guilty to the murders in July in exchange for life in prison instead of facing the death penalty. AP The murders attracted the attention of millions across the world, and observers — including even President Trump — are hoping that the judge compels Kohberger to reveal his true motive. 'These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered,' President Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday, summing how many were left feeling after the three year headline-grabbing saga ended. 'While Life Imprisonment is tough, it's certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders,' he added. The family members of the victims, too, want to know why he did it. Kernodle's father said he opposed the plea deal because it prevented all the evidence from coming out — and allowed Kohberger to keep his secrets about why he butchered the coeds with a Ka-Bar knife. Goncalves' family said they want, 'a full confession, full accountability, location of the murder weapon, confirmation the defendant acted alone, & the true facts of what happened that night.' 3 Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were all killed in Idaho. And Goncalves' father has been particularly vocal about wanting Kohberger to make a full confession — claiming even that he had evidence indicating Kohberger might have been trying to act out twisted porn fetishes though the murders. 'People got so angry at what was happening in that courtroom that they would literally pick up their phone and call us and say, 'This is what's on Bryan's phone. This is what he was searching. This was sexually motivated,'' Steve Goncalves told NewsNation. 'Weird, weird porn fetishes, but two of the fetishes were in that room — drunk passed out girls and gagging girls,' he said, claiming the coroner who examined his daughter told him 'gag' marks were found on her. That contradicts what prosecutors said during the plea hearing where no motive was offered, though sexual assault was categorically ruled out. But Goncalves isn't the only one not buying that. Others think sex — or a lack thereof — might have directly driven Kohberger to kill. 3 The Moscow, Idaho, home where Kohberger murdered the four university students on November 13, 2022. Kai Eiselein 'The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy,' a new book from writers James Patterson and Vicky Ward, suggests Kohberger was an incel — involuntarily celibate — who stalked Mogen in a bizarre tribute to one of the so-called movement's most prominent figures, Elliot Rodger, who blamed his own murder-spree on a blonde coed named Maddy. Mogen's window was clearly visible from the road, the book pointed out, noting that Kohberger went straight to her room when he broke inside and speculating that targeting her may have been a nod to the incel-icon. And classmates from his Washington State University criminology program told the authors that Kohberger was cruel to women in class, and even openly expressed virulent disdain for them with language and ideas incels frequently use in their dark communities. During the plea hearing in July, prosecutors laid out in excruciating detail how Kohberger carried out the murders — turning off his phone ahead in an attempt to conceal his movements, driving to the students' Moscow home with a huge Ka-Bar knife and creeping inside, methodically moving through the rooms and stabbing his victims to death before fleeing — but no insight on his motivation was provided. Even if Kohberger remains silent about whatever his dark motives were during his sentencing, there is new hope that a picture of what drove him might emerge after a gag order sealing documents related to the case was finally lifted last week. That means that in the coming weeks and months, documents and evidence investigators and prosecutors used to convict Kohberger will finally come to light — and that maybe the world will finally know why he did it.
Newsweek
11 hours ago
- Newsweek
Bryan Kohberger Sentencing This Week—Here's What to Expect
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Bryan Kohberger will appear in court this week for sentencing after pleading guilty to the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger this month pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary related to the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, as part of a plea agreement. Under the agreement, prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty. The sentencing will begin at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise. The Context On November 13, 2022, Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle and Chapin were found stabbed to death in an off-campus residence. Kohberger was arrested in connection with the killings on December 30, 2022. The case received significant media coverage and public interest as proceedings unfolded in the years following the killings. Bryan Kohberger, charged with killing four University of Idaho students, appears at the Ada County Courthouse on July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. Bryan Kohberger, charged with killing four University of Idaho students, appears at the Ada County Courthouse on July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool What To Know The Wednesday hearing is expected to last the entire day, with breaks scheduled throughout. The proceedings will be livestreamed on the court's YouTube page. District Judge Steven Hippler said the hearing could extend into a second day to accommodate all victim impact statements. Family members of the victims will have the opportunity to address the court regarding the sentence and the impact of the crime. "What I expect to see is some very upset family members giving their victim impact statements, talking about how unhappy they are that Kohberger's life has been spared," Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Newsweek. Kohberger is expected to be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the murder charges and 10 years on the burglary charge, according to the terms of the plea deal. "It is going to be somewhat anticlimactic, because we know what the result is going to be," Rahmani said. "Kohberger is going to be sentenced to life." Under Idaho law, Kohberger will be given the right of allocution, the opportunity to speak before a sentence is imposed. He also can choose not to make a statement. "He's not going to say anything, and this is why: There still is the rare but theoretical possibility that he is charged by the feds and faces the death penalty. I don't think that's going to happen. That rarely happens," Rahmani said. President Donald Trump referenced the case in a Truth Social post on Monday. "Bryan Kohberger, who was responsible, in Idaho, for the deaths of four wonderful young souls, has made a plea bargain deal in order to avoid the Death Penalty. These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered," Trump wrote. Rahmani said the Department of Justice (DOJ) typically does not step in unless there is "substantial federal interest" not addressed in the state case. "I'm not saying the DOJ is making decisions for political reasons, but I mean, the practical reality is if there's enough support with Trump or high-level officials within the DOJ, that's a possibility," Rahmani said. Rahmani said he does not think Kohberger will give an explanation for the killings if he decides to speak. "I know that the big question everyone has is, 'Why did he do it?' I don't think we'll ever know, because I don't think there's any answer that can be given that may not inflame the feelings of the victims' families," Rahmani said. What People Are Saying Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Newsweek: "If we do hear anything from Kohberger, I think it's going to be an apology. I don't think we're going to hear an explanation as to why he did it. Motive isn't an element of the crime. It's not something the prosecution needs to prove or the defense needs to explain." President Donald Trump, on Truth Social: "While Life Imprisonment is tough, it's certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty, but before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders. There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING." What Happens Next After sentencing, Kohberger is expected to be transferred into the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction, where he will undergo evaluation to determine his facility assignment, USA TODAY reported. The process could take up to two weeks. "It's a matter of security, it's a matter of space, it's a matter of the sentence," Rahmani said. "Once a sentence is determined, it's up to the corrections officers to determine where he's going to be." Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
