Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of murder after reaching a plea deal in the highly publicized case involving the killings of four University of Idaho students.
During Wednesday's hearing, Kohberger admitted to fatally stabbing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in an off-campus home near the university in November 2022.
Without expressing any emotion, Kohberger also admitted to the burglary charge in the indictment.
Under the terms of the deal, which was accepted by the judge, Kohberger will avoid the death penalty and be sentenced to four consecutive life terms. He also waived his right to appeal.
Families of the victims expressed mixed reactions to the agreement. The Goncalves family criticized prosecutors for moving forward with a plea deal despite their objections and just weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin in August.
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“The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” Kaylee’s sister, Aubrie, said.
By contrast, Madison Mogen’s father supported the decision, telling the Idaho Statesman that it would help prevent emotional wounds from being reopened.
"The plea deal the prosecution has proposed is one that punishes the perpetrator of this horrendous crime, protects the public from further harm and allows all of us who knew these four young people the time to grieve without the anxiety of the long and gruesome trial, years of appeals and the potential for mistakes along the way," Ben Mogen said.
Kohberger’s sentencing, where victims’ families are expected to address him, is scheduled for July 23.
