Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty to 2022 Idaho Student Murders in Death Penalty Deal
BOISE, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger has officially pleaded guilty to the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students in a crime that sent shockwaves across the U.S. and shattered the peace of a quiet college town.
On Wednesday, the 29-year-old criminal justice graduate student admitted in court to the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, which occurred on November 13, 2022, in the small community of Moscow, Idaho. The slayings, which authorities say were carried out in the early hours inside a rented off-campus home, went unsolved for weeks before Kohberger was arrested across the country in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger entered the guilty plea as part of a deal with prosecutors that allows him to avoid the death penalty. Instead, he faces four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The judge, Steven Hippler, scheduled his formal sentencing for July 23.
A Community Shattered by a Brutal Crime
The killings marked the first homicide in Moscow in roughly five years and deeply rattled the tight-knit university town. Prosecutors revealed during the plea hearing that Kohberger had fatally stabbed Mogen and Goncalves first, then encountered Kernodle, who was awake at the time. He proceeded to kill her and Chapin, her boyfriend, who had been asleep.
Autopsies later confirmed all four victims had been stabbed multiple times, with some showing signs of defensive wounds, suggesting a struggle.
In Court: Silence and Sorrow
During Wednesday’s emotional hearing, family members of the victims quietly wept and clung to tissues as Judge Hippler named each victim aloud while reading the charges. Kohberger appeared calm and expressionless as he confirmed each of his actions to the court.
Some family members avoided eye contact with him, while others strained to look at the man responsible for their loved ones’ deaths. Kohberger told the judge he understood the conditions of the plea deal, including that he could not appeal the sentence.
Judge Hippler emphasized that the court could not compel prosecutors to seek the death penalty and that his decision would not be swayed by public sentiment.
“This court cannot require the prosecutor to seek the death penalty, nor would it be appropriate for this court to do that,” he stated.
A Case That Gripped the Nation
The gruesome case drew international headlines and led to an extensive investigation, including surveillance video analysis, DNA forensics, and cellphone tracking. Police zeroed in on Kohberger after linking him to a white Hyundai Elantra seen repeatedly near the victims’ home and matching his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath left at the scene.
Investigators also uncovered online shopping records showing Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife and matching sheath prior to the murders.
At the time of the killings, Kohberger was a first-semester Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University in nearby Pullman, Washington. He had no known connection to the victims and no motive has ever been publicly disclosed. Authorities confirmed he had visited the neighborhood of the victims multiple times before the attack and was in the area the night of the murders.
Kohberger was arrested nearly seven weeks later at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.
Families React to the Plea Deal
The decision to offer a plea deal split the victims’ families.
The Goncalves family, vocal opponents of the agreement, demanded that any deal require Kohberger to provide a full confession, explain his motive, and reveal the location of the murder weapon. In a post on Facebook, the family wrote:
“We deserve to know when the beginning of the end was.”
In contrast, the Chapin family expressed support for the plea deal. A family spokesperson said avoiding a prolonged trial would help them begin healing. Ethan Chapin was one of three siblings who all attended the University of Idaho.
Ben Mogen, the father of victim Madison Mogen, also said he found some relief in the resolution.
“We can actually put this behind us,” he told CBS News. “We don’t want to keep facing future court dates involving this terrible person. We get to just think about how to live the rest of our lives without Maddie and the rest of the kids.”
What Comes Next
The court must still formally accept the plea agreement. Sentencing is set for July 23, where families are expected to give victim impact statements. Kohberger will be sentenced to life in prison without parole for each murder, bringing an end to one of the most haunting cases in recent American criminal history.
