Latest news with #murder
New York Times
21 minutes ago
- New York Times
10 Takeaways From Idaho Killer's Sentencing Hearing
Bryan Kohberger sat in a courtroom in Boise, Idaho, for more than three hours on Wednesday, rarely changing his expression as he listened to emotional speeches from more than a dozen people condemning him for the murders of four University of Idaho students more than two years ago. Among the speakers were relatives of the victims, two roommates who survived the November 2022 attack, a prosecutor who built the case against him and the judge who sentenced him at the end of the hearing. Mr. Kohberger said almost nothing throughout the process. His sentence: four consecutive life terms with no opportunity for parole, a punishment that the lead prosecutor called 'a life and death sentence' because it ensured he would die in prison. Now 30, Mr. Kohlberger was a Ph.D. student at Washington State University at the time of the killings, which spread fear through the neighboring college town where they occurred, Moscow, Idaho. Investigators had been under a strict gag order for much of the time since he was taken into custody in December 2022, but it was lifted last week and they held a news conference for the first time on Wednesday, following the sentencing hearing, during which they disclosed some new details. Here's what to know. When asked toward the end of the hearing by Judge Steven Hippler if he would like to make a statement, Mr. Kohberger leaned forward in his chair and said just three words: 'I respectfully decline.' 'Coward,' someone from the courtroom audience cried out. Judge Hippler, in comments before delivering the sentence, said that while he shared the desire to know why Mr. Kohberger had murdered the four students, he did not believe that any answer the killer provided could be believed or would be satisfactory. The prosecutor, Bill Thompson, also said he believed that inviting the killer to explain his crimes would only allow him to shape his own narrative. Investigators said at the news conference after the hearing that they had never been able to identify a motive. In the sentencing hearing, the public heard for the first time from the two other people who were in the house in Moscow, Idaho, when Mr. Kohberger killed Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. Much attention has focused on why neither had called 911 until more than seven hours after the killings — particularly since one, Dylan Mortensen, saw a masked man walking through the house around 4 a.m., roughly the time of the killings. Ms. Mortenson said she had been haunted ever since, afraid to even close her eyes at night. The other roommate, Bethany Funke, wrote a statement that was read in court by a friend in which she said she felt guilt over not doing more but had been unaware of what had taken place upstairs. 'If I had known, I, of course, would have called 911 right away,' she said. 'I still carry so much regret and guilt for not knowing what had happened and not calling right away, even though I understand it wouldn't have changed anything, not even if the paramedics had been right outside the door.' Judge Hippler called both roommates courageous and said 'uncaring people' had come up with absurd theories about their behavior that night. When Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, stood to give his victim impact statement, he grasped the lectern with both hands and turned it 90 degrees, so that he could speak directly to Mr. Kohberger. 'You tried to divide us,' he told him. 'You failed. Instead, your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you.' Several family members raised the possibility — or the hope — that other prisoners would assault Mr. Kohberger while he serves his sentence. But several said they had forgiven him. One was Cara Northington, the mother of Xana Kernodle, who also said she prayed for him. But she added, 'I am washing my hands of you.' Ms. Kernodle's uncle, Stratton Kernodle, focused on how the crime had 'tainted' Mr. Kohberger's family, making it a 'miserable thing to ever be related to him.' And Kim Cheeley, the grandmother of Madison Mogen, said that her heart ached for the surviving roommates, the families of the other victims — and for Mr. Kohberger's family. The family of Ethan Chapin, the fourth victim, said earlier this week that they would not be attending the hearing. They had previously expressed support for the plea agreement. The investigative team made extensive efforts to identify some pre-existing link between Mr. Kohberger and the victims, law enforcement officials said at the news conference, but were unable to find any. They dispelled two popular theories that have surfaced in YouTube discussions, media accounts and documentaries: that Mr. Kohberger might have interacted with some of the victims on social media or that he had met some of them at a restaurant. 'We have never to this day found a single connection between him and any of the four victims or the two surviving victims,' said Lt. Darren Gilbertson of the Idaho State Police. The investigators also said they had looked into every aspect of a widely circulated theory that Mr. Kohberger had initially participated in Facebook discussions on the case under the username Pappa Rodger, but had concluded that it was false. Also unanswered is a central question: Had Mr. Kohberger been targeting one of the victims? Prosecutors have said that when he entered the students' home, he first went to a bedroom on the third floor, where he killed Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. But the investigators said on Wednesday they did not know if he had any specific Brett Payne of the Moscow Police Department said it was possible that he chose the home because of its location or layout, but that investigators simply did not know. Crucial evidence has never been found. Investigators used phone records to trace Mr. Kohberger's path after the killings and hunted for a knife along those routes, taking soil samples and searching waterways — to no avail. 'It wasn't for a lack of trying,' Lt. Gilbertson said. He said the places where the knife could have been discarded were 'endless.' Family members of some victims had vehemently objected to a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table for Mr. Kohberger. Mr. Thompson contended that the agreement was the best possible outcome. He noted that it resulted in Mr. Kohberger admitting guilt on all charges and that he will now remain behind bars until he dies. 'I respect the fact that, of these fine suffering people here, not everyone agreed with the decision we made,' Mr. Thompson said. Mr. Kohberger's mother, MaryAnn, attended the hearing, sitting in the first row near her son. During some of the victims' family statements, she grew emotional, dabbing her eyes and nose with a tissue. Other times she looked over at her son. During a break, she briefly put her head down into her hands. When Ms. Cheeley expressed sympathy for her, Ms. Kohberger's body shuddered visibly. Mr. Kohberger and his mother had little interaction. At one point, as he entered the courtroom, he smiled at his mother. She nodded back at him.
CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
Calgary man accused in Madisson Cobb murder appears in court, charge against second man surfaces
Police have announced a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Madisson Cobb. Calgary murder victim Madisson Cobb was dealing with harassment charges involving two men prior to her death, according to documents obtained by CTV News. Eric Mason-Ward, 26, was charged on June 27 with criminal harassment of Cobb on June 1. The details are unclear, but CTV has learned that man is a friend of Cobb's ex-boyfriend, Devon Bradley Malik, 26, who is now charged with Cobb's first-degree murder and appeared in court on Wednesday. Malik was previously charged with two counts of harassment of the young woman for incidents dating back to May 30 and June 1. Cobb was shot to death in a Macleod Trail parking garage on July 19. Cobb and Malik split in January, and in June, the courts ordered Malik to not go within 100 metres of Cobb's home or workplace. Court documents obtained by CTV News detail Cobb's alleged harassment by Malik. In them, Cobb said Malik had a gun and that RCMP told her they couldn't find it. Malik appeared in court Wednesday on both murder and harassment charges involving Cobb. Devon Bradley Malik, 26, is now charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of Madisson Cobb. Devon Bradley Malik, 26, charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death of Madisson Cobb, appeared in court Wednesday. Police said Mason-Ward and Malik are known to one another, but said Mason-Ward was not involved in Cobb's murder.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bryan Kohberger Ignores Mother and Sister as He Exits Courtroom Following Sentencing
Bryan Kohberger had no words for his mother after he was sentenced to serve four lifetimes in prison on Wednesday, July 23. The New York Times reports that after learning his fate, the quadruple murderer ignored both his mother Maryann and sister Amanda as he exited the courtroom. They were the only two members of Kohberger's family who were in attendance at his sentencing hearing. Both women were later seen being escorted from the courthouse by Kohberger's public defender Anne Taylor. It was an emotional day in court for Maryann, who, according to the Times, was seen "shuddering at times and in one instance putting her head in her hands." At one point in the proceedings, a family member of one victim made mention of Maryann during her remarks."My heart aches for the kids' roommates, and the families of the other victims and also the family of the perpetrator," said Kim Cheeley, the grandmother of victim Madison Mogen. Shortly after Cheeley spoke there was a brief recess, and upon returning to the courtroom, the Times reports that Kohberger did smile and nod at his mother, but that appeared to be the lone interaction between the two. The hearing ended with Kohberger being sentenced to serve four lifetimes in prison without the possibility of parole on the four murder charges, plus 10 years on a burglary charge. He was also ordered to pay $270,000 in fines and civil penalties. This comes three weeks after he appeared in the same Boise courtroom and confessed to the murders of: Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. Kohberger's sister Amanda looked eager to make a quick exit from the courthouse after the hearing, leading the way with her mother Maryann following close behind. Amanda also appeared eager to shield her mother — who wore dark, oversized sunglasses — from the cameras. It is unclear if the two women will have a chance to see Kohberger before he is released from the Ada County Jail and placed into the custody of the Idaho Department of Corrections. Kohberger will now undergo a two-week evaluation after which the IDOC will determine what prison he is sent to for the rest of his life. That will likely be the lone maximum security prison in Idaho but could also be an out-of-state facility due to safety concerns surrounding the high-profile inmate. Read the original article on People
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Xana Kernodle's stepfather slams Kohberger in victim statement: 'Go to he--'
Randy Davis, the stepfather to Xana Kernodle, directly confronted Bryan Kohberger during his sentencing hearing, telling the convicted killer to "go to he--" for the murders of the four University of Idaho students. (Pool)
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Hialeah man charged with first-degree murder after fatal shooting caught on doorbell camera
A Hialeah man is facing a first-degree murder charge after a deadly shooting that was captured on his own doorbell camera, according to authorities. The newly released video, made public by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, shows the moments leading up to the May 13 shooting that left a 31-year-old man dead and 55-year-old Pedro Blanco in jail. Ring camera footage from outside apartment 201 shows Blanco walking directly to his neighbor's door. He appears to say something before pulling out a gun and firing a single shot. That one bullet killed Yoendris Campos, a father who, according to his family, was only visiting a friend inside apartment 202. Hialeah Police say the incident began with a dispute between neighbors. Blanco remains in custody and is charged with first-degree murder. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 4. CBS News Miami reached out to the public defender's office for comment but has not yet received a response.
