- Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
- Without a right to appeal, Kohberger´s sentencing is scheduled for July 23.
- The victims' families will have the opportunity to speak at the sentencing.
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty Wednesday to the murders of four University of Idaho students.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Kohberger had accepted a plea deal to plead guilty for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. A hearing for the plea deal was held on Wednesday, where Kohberger pleaded guilty to all charges against him and the judge accepted his plea.
He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the murders, which took place on Nov. 13, 2022, in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
District Court Judge Steven Hippler was assigned to the case and opening statements for the trial had been set to begin on Aug. 18.
When will his sentencing be?
Kohberger’s sentencing will take place on July 23 at 9 a.m. The families of the victims will be allowed to speak at the sentencing.
Because Kohberger no longer has the presumption of innocence, he must appear in jail attire at the sentencing. He will continue to be held in jail pending sentencing.
The plea agreement says Kohberger would be sentenced to 10 years for the burglary charge and four consecutive life sentences for the murder charges. That sentence could be changed during the sentencing, as Hippler is not bound by the plea agreement. Kohberger could also face a fine of up to $50,000.
Kohberger pleads guilty and evidence against him is presented
Under oath, Kohberger said he understood the plea agreement and the nature of the charges. He also said that no one promised him anything if he pleaded guilty and no one forced him to.
“Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?” Hippler asked.
Yes," Kohberger said.
During the hearing, Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson went over the prosecution’s evidence in the case, including Kohberger’s phone pinging to the tower near the crime scene, his car being seen on surveillance video and DNA found on a knife sheath found at the crime scene.
Families of the victims get emotional as Kohberger pleads guilty
After the plea agreement was announced, the family of Kaylee Goncalves made it clear that they were against the plea deal. In a Facebook post the family said that they were “beyond furious at the State of Idaho.”
Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, left the courthouse on Wednesday shortly after arriving and before Kohberger entered the courtroom. According to The Associated Press, he appeared frustrated.
“I’m just getting out of this zoo,” Steve Goncalves said in a video posted on X.
As he left the courthouse on Wednesday, Steve Goncalves told a reporter that the rest of his family felt it was important to be there in the courtroom, but that he was not planning on going back, per the AP.
As the hearing took place on Wednesday, several members of the victims’ families were crying as they sat in the gallery, per NBC.
“Kristi Goncalves silently sobbed as the judge read Kaylee’s name. An aunt of Kaylee’s had her head down, holding her forehead and was also weeping,” according to NBC. “The aunt also sobbed when prosecutors spoke about blood on the murder weapon.”
Ben Mogen, the father of Madison Mogen, looked agitated and was breathing heavily as he rubbed his eyes with a handkerchief.
The Mogen family said it supports the plea agreement “100%” according to NBC.
The family’s attorney read a statement after the hearing, thanking the prosecution. The statement also asked that those who don’t agree with the agreement to “respect our belief that this is the best outcome possible for the victims, their families and the state of Idaho.”
“We lost our Maddie, our kind, loving, vivacious and caring daughter, full of purpose and promise,” the statement said, per NBC. “We are grateful for the gift of her life, and we have grieved the loss of that life during each of these 962 days.”