Bryan Kohberger has made his first public statement after entering a guilty plea for the murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen.
On November 13, 2022, the bodies of Mogen and Goncalves, both 21, along with Chapin and Kernodle, both 20, were discovered in their off-campus residence in Idaho.
Kohberger was subsequently charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary linked to these deaths.
Initially, Kohberger had pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, but his new plea deal, admitting to the killings, ensures he will not face the death penalty.
As per the plea agreement, Kohberger will be sentenced to ten years for the burglary charge and receive a life sentence without parole for the four murder counts.
In court today (July 2), Kohberger confessed to the murders, responding affirmatively to the judge’s questions.
Brian Entin of NewsNation reported that Kohberger was asked if he “stabbed and murdered” Mogen, “deliberately killed and murdered” Goncalves, and if he took the lives of Kernodle and Chapin, to which he answered “yes.”
Andrea Cavallier from the Independent noted that security personnel formed a barrier between Kohberger and the victims’ families, as emotions were heightened in the courtroom.
Evidence previously presented described how Mogen, Goncalves, and two other roommates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, gathered in Goncalves’ room to recount their evening out. The court documents indicated they “talked for a while before going to bed” around 2 a.m.
“The roommates debated going out to a food truck for a late snack, prompting D.M. to send a text at 2:10 a.m. to an Uber driver she knew to see if he was driving,” the document revealed.
“Ultimately, however, the girls decided to just go to bed.”
At that time, Kernodle and her boyfriend Chapin were still out partying, with the murders occurring between 4:00 a.m. and 4:25 a.m.
The masked killer fled shortly after committing the crimes, with Mortensen being the only witness to see the intruder.
The plea deal was reportedly finalized just days after meetings between prosecutors and the victims’ families to discuss the agreement.
Subsequently, the families received an email with an attached letter from prosecutors, detailing their reasons for offering the plea deal.
According to the Idaho Statesman, the letter stated: “We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family. This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family.”
“This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals.”
“Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.”