The father of one of the victims that Bryan Kohberger murdered confronted the killer in court with a heartbreaking statement.
More than a year after the chilling murders of four University of Idaho students, former criminology PhD student Bryan Kohberger has been sentenced to life in prison.
On Wednesday, July 23, Kohberger pleaded guilty to the brutal killings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were found dead in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022, per BBC News.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, along with 10 years for burglary. He was also ordered to pay nearly $290,000 in restitution to the victims' families.
In a courtroom filled with grief, outrage, and the weight of unanswered questions, Kohberger declined to speak. Rising slightly from his seat, he simply said: “I respectfully decline.”
Judge Steven Hippler acknowledged the silence. “The more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more power and control we give to him,” Hippler remarked. “In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger’s 15 minutes of fame.”
Kohberger's guilty plea came as a shock to many. The former Washington State University student had long denied involvement, but in a dramatic courtroom exchange, admitted to his crimes as part of a plea deal that removed the death penalty as an option.
Asked by the judge: “Did you on November 13, 2022, enter the residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, with the intent to commit the felony crime of murder?”
Kohberger replied: “Yes.”
Prosecutors detailed how Kohberger used a military-style Ka-Bar knife to carry out the early-morning attack, which began upstairs with Mogen and Goncalves before he moved downstairs to kill Kernodle and Chapin. All four victims were found stabbed in their beds.
The courtroom saw a wave of raw emotion as families gave their impact statements - many directing their heartbreak and fury at Kohberger himself.
Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, delivered a short but devastating statement, per Forbes.
He said: “Today, you have no name. We will forget you. You picked the wrong family, and we're laughing at you on your trip to pen today.”
He recalled the moment police informed him of his daughter’s death and his immediate plea for justice: a directive to "get to work and catch her murderer."
Kaylee’s sister, Alivea Goncalves, didn’t hold back in her own remarks, unleashing a scathing takedown of Kohberger’s perceived arrogance.
“Lurking in the shadows made you feel powerful because no one ever paid you any attention in the light,” she said.
“You thought you were exceptional all because of a grade on a paper, you thought you were elite because your online IQ test, from 2010, told you that. All of that effort to seem important, it is desperate. There is a name for your condition thought, your inflated ego just didn’t let you see it. Wannabe.”