Following Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing to four life terms for the tragic deaths of four University of Idaho students, the case’s lead prosecutor has shared insights into who he believes was Kohberger’s actual target.
Earlier this month, Kohberger was sentenced for the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves. These students tragically lost their lives in their off-campus residence on November 13, 2022.
Initially, Kohberger, a former criminology student, claimed innocence but later changed his plea to guilty under an agreement that removed the possibility of a death sentence.
Kohberger’s DNA was matched to a knife sheath found at the crime scene, and he stated his plea change was ‘because [he was] guilty’.
Despite confessing to the killings, Kohberger has not disclosed a motive, and authorities have found no previous connections between him and the victims.
Bill Thompson, the case’s lead prosecutor, has speculated about who Kohberger might have been targeting during the incident.
In an interview with ABC News after the sentencing, Thompson suggested that either Kaylee or Maddie was the intended target.
“I personally feel that, for whatever reason, he targeted one of the young women on the third floor,” he stated.
Kaylee and Maddie, close friends, were discovered deceased on the third floor, while Ethan and Xana were found on a lower level.
Over 300 documents related to the investigation have been made public, one revealing that Kaylee had reported seeing an ‘unknown male’ outside her residence staring at her weeks before the murders.
Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, two other housemates, were also present on the night of the murders, but Kohberger did not harm them.
“We are fortunate that he got scared and ran and left without harming Dylan or Bethany,” Thompson commented.
During Kohberger’s sentencing, Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s older sister, delivered a powerful victim impact statement remembering both Kaylee and Maddie.
She expressed, “I’m not here today to speak in grief, I’m here to speak the truth. Because the truth is, my sister Kaylee and her best friend Maddie were not yours to take.”
“They were not yours to study, to stalk or to silence. They were two pieces of a whole, the perfect Yin and Yang. They are everything that you could never be; loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful.”