US: Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murdering four Idaho students

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in 2022, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to first-degree murder in a plea deal that removes the possibility of the death penalty.

Kohberger, 30, was a criminal justice doctoral student at Washington State University. He had previously pleaded not guilty to murder and burglary charges.

The sudden plea change brings a dramatic turn in a case that shocked the small town of Moscow, Idaho, and drew nationwide attention.

During the court hearing in Boise, Judge Steven Hippler outlined the agreement. Kohberger will serve four consecutive life sentences and cannot appeal or seek sentence reconsideration.

Formal sentencing is tentatively set for July 23.

Kohberger admitted to each of the murders and said he was pleading guilty voluntarily. He told the court he understood the consequences and was satisfied with his legal team.

The killings took place in the early morning of November 13, 2022. The victims were found in an off-campus home shared by five women.

Xana Kernodle, 20, from Avondale, Arizona.
Madison Mogen, 21, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum, Idaho.
Ethan Chapin, 20, from Conway, Washington, who was Kernodle’s boyfriend.

All four had returned home before 2 a.m. after attending separate social events. They were found dead later that morning with multiple stab wounds.

Two other women in the house were unharmed.

One of the survivors told investigators she heard crying that night. When she opened her door, she saw a man dressed in black walking past her and leaving the house.

Investigators linked Kohberger to the crime using DNA evidence, phone data, and surveillance footage. He was arrested weeks later in Pennsylvania while visiting his family.

He was extradited to Idaho to face charges.

Without the plea deal, a jury conviction could have led to the death penalty.

Reaction from victims’ families was divided.

The Goncalves family criticized the agreement, calling it a “secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims’ families.”

Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, told reporters,
“No, of course not. It’s daycare. Prison is daycare.”

Meanwhile, a lawyer speaking for Mogen’s family said they fully supported the deal.

They said, “We support the plea agreement 100%. The outcome brought us closure.”

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