Bryan Kohberger has decided to enter a guilty plea regarding the murder charges of four University of Idaho students. This decision forms part of an agreement to avoid facing the death penalty. The plea was confirmed by Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the family of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, who expressed dissatisfaction with the deal, revealing the family’s surprise and dismay over the development.
Kohberger’s change of plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, although the Goncalves family has requested a postponement to allow more time for them to travel to Boise. Originally, Kohberger’s trial was slated for August in Boise, having been transferred there due to significant media attention in northern Idaho.
The 30-year-old is accused of fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen at their Moscow, Idaho residence on November 13, 2022. Autopsy reports indicate the victims were likely asleep when attacked, with some suffering defensive wounds and each being stabbed multiple times.
At the time of the killings, Kohberger was enrolled as a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, located about nine miles from the University of Idaho. His arrest occurred in Pennsylvania, where his parents reside, after investigators linked his DNA to genetic material found on a knife sheath at the murder site.
The motive behind the killings remains unclear, as does the reason two other roommates in the house were left unharmed. However, cellphone records and surveillance footage suggest Kohberger frequented the victims’ neighborhood multiple times before the incident.
The brutal murders sent shockwaves through the small farming town of approximately 25,000 residents, which had not experienced a homicide in five years. The ensuing investigation was extensive, incorporating methods such as tracing a white sedan seen in the area via surveillance cameras, using genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a suspect, and employing cellphone data to track his movements on the night of the murders.
Kohberger’s defense team previously unsuccessfully attempted to remove the death penalty from consideration, arguing Kohberger’s autism diagnosis diminished his culpability. In communication to the families, prosecutors detailed that Kohberger’s attorneys initiated talks of a plea bargain. While meeting with family representatives, prosecutors said they believe this agreement serves justice by ensuring Kohberger’s conviction and lifelong imprisonment while preventing lengthy appeals.
The Goncalves family took to Facebook to express dissatisfaction, emphasizing the pain of Kohberger potentially retaining aspects of life that their deceased loved ones would not. Meanwhile, prosecutors have based their decisions on what they deemed just in consideration of the families’ perspectives.
In Idaho, it’s possible for judges to reject plea deals, but such instances are infrequent. Should a plea deal be declined, the guilty plea can be withdrawn by the defendant.
Earlier, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that three individuals would be required to travel to Idaho to testify in Kohberger’s trial at the defense’s request. These individuals include Kohberger’s former boxing trainer, an acquaintance from his youth, and another whose relevance was not detailed.
The case has been largely shielded from public discussion through a gag order, limiting commentary from involved parties.