Bryan Kohberger, a former criminology student, has received a life sentence for the murders of four Idaho college students in 2022: Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen.
The sentencing took place on July 23, after Kohberger changed his plea to guilty on all charges earlier this month.
The Ada County Courthouse witnessed emotional victim impact statements from families and loved ones, some of whom addressed Kohberger directly.
Surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, shared that they have been dealing with severe trauma and anxiety since Kohberger entered their home and killed their friends in their sleep.
Kernodle’s stepfather, Randy Davis, directly addressed Kohberger, saying with a shaking voice: “You’re gonna go to hell. You’re evil… You took our children… You are gonna suffer, man.”
When offered a chance to speak, Kohberger, now convicted, chose to remain silent, stating: “I respectfully decline.”
The shift in Kohberger’s plea was unexpected as he had previously denied responsibility for the murders committed on November 13, 2022.
His guilty plea was part of an agreement that spared him from the death penalty, yet Kohberger confirmed to the court that he pled guilty ‘because [he is] guilty.’
The judge asked during the proceedings, “Did you on November 13, 2022, enter the residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, with the intent to commit the felony crime of murder?” Kohberger affirmed: “Yes.”
Kohberger was convicted for the murders of Chapin, Kernodle, Goncalves, and Mogen after breaking into their off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho.
At the time, Kohberger was working towards a PhD in criminology at Washington State University and residing in Pullman, Washington, a short distance from the crime scene in Moscow.
Investigators discovered Kohberger’s phone had repeatedly connected to the cell tower near the Idaho house where the crimes occurred between July and November 2022.
His phone reportedly accessed the tower 23 times between 10pm and 4am, yet there was no evidence of direct contact with the students on those occasions.
On the night of the murders, Kohberger’s phone was turned off in Pullman around 2am. It was reactivated just before 5am near the Moscow area.
Prosecutors mentioned that security footage captured Kohberger’s White Hyundai parked behind the students’ house, and he supposedly entered around 4am through a kitchen sliding door.
He allegedly committed the murders in the sequence of Kernodle, Chapin, Mogen, and Goncalves.
Subsequent security footage showed Kohberger’s vehicle leaving the area. He was apprehended in Pennsylvania seven weeks post-murders.
Kohberger’s case was initially headed for trial, with prosecutors planning to present surveillance footage and cellphone data as key evidence.
However, with the plea deal, he opted to bypass a trial.
Avoiding the death penalty, Kohberger is sentenced to four consecutive life terms for his first-degree murder convictions, plus a 10-year maximum sentence for burglary. He will remain in prison without the chance of parole.