Latest news with #victimfamilies
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Bryan Kohberger's victims' families and friends to finally face off with their killer as his sentencing begins
BRYAN Kohberger is expected to sit through grueling impact statements from the families of the four University of Idaho students he admitted to killing as he faces four consecutive life sentences. Kohberger, the former Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University in Pullman, changed his plea to guilty weeks before his trial for the November 2022 quadruple murders was slated to begin in August. 3 3 3 During his change of plea hearing on July 2, Kohberger, stone-faced and expressionless, responded "yes" when asked by Judge Steven Hippler if he was pleading guilty because he was guilty. Kohberger, 30, showed no remorse when asked if on November 13, 2022, he willfully and with premeditation entered the off-campus home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, and killed Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. As part of the plea deal with state prosecutors, Kohberger will avoid the death penalty and accept four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Kohberger also agreed to waive his right to appeal the sentence. Several family members of the victims are expected to address Kohberger for the first time during Wednesday's sentencing. Under Idaho law, Kohberger will be granted an allocution, giving him the opportunity to deliver remarks to the court and possibly the families of the victims. An allocution is the formal opportunity defendants are given to speak directly to the court before the judge imposes sentencing.
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Live updates: Bryan Kohberger awaits sentencing after admitting to Idaho student murders
Update: Date: Title: Idaho prosecutors say they wanted to spare families from long road that comes after death penalty Content: Idaho prosecutors say they wanted to spare the families of four University of Idaho students killed in November 2022 by agreeing to a plea deal that would see the confessed killer avoid a possible death sentence. Instead, Bryan Kohberger will be sentenced this week to life in prison without parole, and he'll forfeit his right to appeal. The agreement received mixed reactions from the families of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen, highlighting how the death penalty — and the possibility of it — affects victims' loved ones, often referred to as survivors or co-victims, in deeply personal ways. They are not a monolithic group; resolution can mean something different to each person. 'Every co-victim of murder is different in what their needs are and are going to be different in how they see those needs being met and are going to be different in how they see justice being served,' said Scott Vollum, a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth who has studied violence, the death penalty and its effect on co-victims. Had Kohberger gone to trial, there was no guarantee he would have been sentenced to death. If he were, it likely would have been years, even decades, before an execution — and even that would not be certain. For victims' families, a death sentence is not the end of a journey but the beginning of one. While some may find solace in the end, for many, even those who support the execution, the intervening years of appeals and uncertainty often reopen old wounds. For subscribers: Read other families describe their experience with the death penalty and how they grappled with the process and the concept of closure. Update: Date: Title: Kohberger likely to face life in prison after plea deal Content: Bryan Kohberger will be sentenced today in the killings of four University of Idaho students. It comes after he changed his plea and admitted to the murders earlier this month. With that, Kohberger cemented a deal that would allow him to avoid the death penalty. Here's what the judge is considering today: A letter sent to the victims' families from Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson indicated Kohberger will likely be sentenced to life in prison and the deal requires him to waive his right to appeal, the Idaho Statesman reported. Update: Date: Title: Bryan Kohberger will be sentenced today. Here's what you should know about the case Content: The killings of four University of Idaho students in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho in November 2022 were as brutal as they were perplexing. Here are key dates in the case you should know:
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bryan Kohberger courthouse sees fights erupt in 13-HOUR line for sentencing as Idaho murderer is urged to explain himself
Tensions were high outside an Idaho courthouse as dozens of people lined up 13 hours before Bryan Kohberger is to be sentenced for the murders of four students. An argument broke out after people were accused of cutting in line as they tried to secure a seat for the 9am hearing in Boise. Kohberger, 30, is expected to be sentenced to four life sentences without parole after he pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves. Spectators and reporters began lining up outside the Ada County Courthouse at around 10pm Tuesday. Officials informed those present that they were not allowed to form a line until 4am, so spectators moved their line across the street from the courthouse. By 3am, at least 50 people were already lined up, some with camping chairs, as they waited to be let inside. There seemed to be a mix of media and crime sleuths in the line. Wednesday's sentencing hearing will conclude the case that grasped the nation's attention for years. But, many, including president Donald Trump, have said the plea deal should require Kohberger to explain why he committed the murders. The sentencing will give the families of the victims the opportunity to describe the anguish they've felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. Kohberger was a graduate student of 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, with members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some self-styled armchair detectives 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.
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Jeju Air crash: Did pilots shut down wrong engine before deadly crash?
Latest investigation findings into the deadly Jeju Air crash in December 2024 revealed that pilots mistakenly shut down the left engine, which was operating normally, instead of the right engine, which had been severely damaged by a bird strike before landing. Families of the victims objected to the conclusions, leading to South Korea's investigation body cancelling a planned release to media on Saturday (Jul 19).
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US judge sets hearing on bid to end Boeing criminal prosecution
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Friday said he will hold an Aug. 28 hearing on a request by the Justice Department and Boeing to approve an agreement that allows the planemaker to avoid prosecution. The deal, which faces objections from relatives of some of the 346 people killed in two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, enables Boeing to escape oversight from an independent monitor for three years. Boeing last year agreed to plead guilty under a deal with prosecutors to a criminal fraud charge that it misled U.S. regulators about a crucial flight control system on the 737 MAX.
