Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of four University of Idaho students, following his July 2 guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder.
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.
As part of a plea agreement accepted by the judge, Kohberger avoided the death penalty and agreed to serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. He also waived his right to appeal.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Kohberger declined to speak to the courtroom, which was filled with victims' family members and friends. Many of them, however, addressed him directly — offering emotional statements and condemning his actions.
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Dylan Mortensen, one of the surviving roommates, spoke through tears, describing what her friends meant to her and how she feels about Kohberger.
"He may have taken so much from me, but he will never get to take my voice," she said. "He will never take the memories I have with them. He will never erase the love we shared, the laughs we had, or the way they made me feel seen and whole. Those things are mine. They are sacred, and he will never touch them."
Some relatives expressed frustration that Kohberger was able to strike a deal and avoid a trial, which had been scheduled for August.
The father of Goncalves, who opposed the plea deal, had a pointed message for Kohberger.
"Today we are here to finish what you started. Today, you've lost control. Today we are here to prove to the world that you picked the wrong families, wrong state, the wrong police officers, the wrong community," Steve Goncalves said. "You tried to break our community apart, you tried to plant fear, you tried to divide us, you failed. Instead, your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you."
Meanwhile, Scott Laramie, the stepfather of Mogen, spoke about the emotional toll the killings have taken on their family.
"We will grow old without our only child, our bright, beautiful friend and daughter," he said. "In the end, there are no words that can accurately capture the devastation of losing Maddie. We will endure and we will go on. For Maddie, we will not let our grief consume us."
After the families and friends spoke, Prosecutor Bill Thompson addressed the terms of the plea deal. He said the agreement was initiated by the defense and that prosecutors gave them a strict option: plead guilty to the five charges and waive the right to appeal. Kohberger agreed.
The small town of Moscow, Idaho, was left shaken by the killings. Residents lived in fear for weeks as the manhunt for the suspect unfolded. Kohberger was arrested more than a month later while visiting family in Pennsylvania. Authorities said DNA recovered at the crime scene linked him to the murders.
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