Families enraged as accused Idaho killer Kohberger takes plea deal to avoid execution
Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of brutally murdering four University of Idaho students, will plead guilty in exchange for a deal that spares him the death penalty. The decision has left victims’ families furious and shocked, especially those who were not consulted in time to object.
Shanon Gray, a lawyer for the family of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, confirmed prosecutors had informed the families on Monday about Kohberger’s plan to change his plea. The Goncalves family, who had long advocated for the death penalty, responded with outrage.
“We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho,” the family wrote in a Facebook post. “They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.”
The plea hearing was scheduled for Wednesday in Boise, but the family requested a delay so relatives could travel to the courthouse. Kohberger’s trial was originally set for August, having been relocated due to intense pretrial publicity in northern Idaho.
Kohberger, 30, is charged with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen, all killed in a rental home near the University of Idaho campus on 13 November 2022. Post-mortems indicated the victims were likely asleep during the knife attacks. Some had defensive wounds. All were stabbed multiple times.
At the time of the killings, Kohberger was a criminal justice PhD student at Washington State University, just nine miles from the scene. He was arrested weeks later at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. Investigators say DNA from a knife sheath left at the scene matched Kohberger through genetic genealogy tracing.
A motive has never been established, and questions remain about why two surviving roommates in the house were spared. Authorities stated that Kohberger had visited the victims’ neighbourhood at least 12 times before the murders, based on cellphone and surveillance data.
The community of Moscow, Idaho, population 25,000, was left traumatised by the killings. It hadn’t recorded a homicide in roughly five years. The case sparked a massive manhunt involving footage of a suspicious white sedan and intricate DNA tracing efforts.
In a letter sent to families and obtained by ABC News, prosecutors explained that Kohberger’s defence team had approached them seeking a plea bargain. Previous defence motions attempted to remove the death penalty, citing Kohberger’s autism diagnosis as a mitigating factor.
“This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals,” prosecutors wrote. “Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process.”
But the Goncalves family said they felt sidelined. Kaylee’s younger sister, 18-year-old Aubrie Goncalves, wasn’t able to attend the meeting with prosecutors but submitted a statement.
“Bryan Kohberger facing life in prison means he still gets to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,” she wrote. “Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever.”
Under Idaho law, judges can reject plea agreements, although such rejections are rare. If this deal is rejected, Kohberger would be allowed to withdraw his plea.
Separately, a Pennsylvania judge ruled on Monday that three defence witnesses must travel to Idaho for trial proceedings. They include a boxing trainer who knew Kohberger during his youth, a childhood acquaintance, and another man whose relevance remains undisclosed.
Due to a gag order, lawyers and investigators have been barred from publicly discussing the case. But Monday’s developments have triggered fresh waves of grief and fury, as families come to terms with the likely conclusion of a case that has haunted them for nearly three years.
