Bryan Kohberger guilty plea: Victims’ families react

The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022 has decided to enter a guilty plea, a month before the start of his trial, which could have brought the death penalty. But not all agree with the decision.

Bryan Kohberger was to go on trial in Boise, Idaho, starting in August, The Associated Press reported.

He will plead guilty to four counts of murder, CNN reported. He will also plead guilty to felony burglary. Kohberger is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, waive his right to appeal and won’t be eligible for parole, according to the Idaho Statesman.

He is accused of killing Ethan Shapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

The four, according to the autopsy, were likely asleep when the stabbing started. Each was stabbed several times and some had defensive wounds. Two other people who were at the home were not injured.

Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University. Weeks after the killings, he was captured in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived.

Investigators said DNA from a knife sheath left at the Idaho location matched Kohberger’s.

No motive has been given, but investigators said Kohberger visited the neighborhood at least 12 times before Nov. 13, 2022.

Kohberger’s attorneys had asked the prosecution several times to remove the potential death penalty before his guilty plea decision. They also claimed their client’s autism diagnosis made him less culpable, the AP said.

The prosecution said they met with some of the victims’ families before offering the plea deal.

A letter to the families explaining the decision read, “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family. 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. Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.”

Families react

But several family members of one of the victims believe the plea deal decision was not the correct one.

The Goncalves’ wrote on Facebook, “We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.”

“Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter. We DID OUR BEST! We fought harder then anyone could EVER imagine,” they wrote in a separate post.

Aubrie Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, wrote on Facebook, “Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world. Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims’ pasts.”

The Goncalves family released an additional statement to CNN calling the plea agreement “shocking and cruel.”

“After more than two years, this is how it concludes — with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims’ families on the plea’s details,” the statement said, according to CNN.

Kaylee Concalves’ father told NewsNation, “This is the opposite of our will. There was no majority (of victims’ families) believing that this was acceptable.”

Mogen’s father told the Statesman that the plea will allow his family to heal.

What’s next?

A judge could reject the plea agreement, but that is rare, the AP said. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, CNN reported.

Sentencing will likely occur in late July if he pleads guilty, the Statesman reported.

©2024 Cox Media Group