Bryan Kohberger, a former PhD student in criminology, who recently pleaded guilty to killing four University of Idaho students, will face the victims’ families and loved ones before he is sentenced for the quadruple murder at a hearing that began Wednesday and may stretch into Thursday.
Kohberger earlier this month confessed to the 2022 stabbings of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, 21-year-old best friends, as well as their housemate, Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, both 20. His guilty plea was part of a deal approved by District Court Judge Steven Hippler, which also saw Kohberger waive his right to appeal in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to pursue the death penalty.
Now, he’s facing a 10-year sentence on a burglary charge and life sentences for each of the four counts of first-degree homicide.
In the days leading up to Kohberger’s sentencing hearing, many have decried the peal deal as a grave injustice, among them Goncalves’s father, Steve. He told reporters the state of Idaho had “failed” him, accusing officials of making a “deal with the devil.”
Prior to his plea earlier this month, Kohberger spent years maintaining his innocence in the slayings.
All four victims were found fatally stabbed inside a Moscow home, not far from the University of Idaho campus, in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Police said Kernodle and Chapin were in a bedroom on the second floor of the residence while Goncalves and Mogen were killed in a bedroom on the third floor.
Responding officers also discovered a knife sheath next to Mogen’s body, on which they found DNA they would later identify as Kohberger’s.
Investigators further relied on surveillance cameras to connect Kohberger to the crime. Footage captured in the area showed a white Hyundai Elantra driving near the crime scene between 3:29 a.m. and 4:20 a.m., the suspected time of the quadruple slaying.
According to the affidavit, it circled the area three times, and then a fourth time at 4:04 a.m. The vehicle, which matches the description of one owned by Kohberger, was then spotted racing away from the home around 4:20 a.m., investigators wrote.
Kohberger later used the same white Hyundai to travel home to Pennsylvania for winter break, police said. He was eventually arrested at his parents’ house on Dec. 30, 2022.
Prior to traveling home, authorities said he continued to attend classes at Washington State University in Pullman, just 15 minutes away from the site of the slayings. He initially claimed he was out for a night drive when the killings occurred.
His defense team also pushed back against a potential death sentence, arguing Kohberger’s autism should prevent him from receiving such punishment.
Originally Published:
