Bryan Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the murders of four students in Idaho in the hopes that he can avoid the death penalty.

Kohberger, 30, previously pleaded not guilty to the November 2022 stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

But he will now formally enter guilty pleas to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary at a July 2 hearing, per ABC News.

The deal will see Kohberger waive his right to a jury trial, accept four consecutive life sentences plus up to 10 years on the burglary charge, and waive his rights to appeal.

His trial had been scheduled to begin on August 11, and prosecutors had previously signaled their intent to seek the death penalty before the plea was reached.

The Goncalves family confirmed the plea agreement on Facebook, writing: “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us.”

Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson acknowledged the family's pain in a letter, cited by the Idaho Statesman newspaper: “We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family. 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.”

Goncalves, Kernodle, and Mogen were roommates at the off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, where the murders took place, while Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend.

Two other roommates survived the attack, including one who told police she saw a masked figure with “bushy eyebrows” walk past her and exit through a sliding glass door, per BBC News.

Kohberger, who was a PhD criminology student at Washington State University at the time of the killings, was arrested in December 2022 at his parents’ Pennsylvania home.

Police said they linked him to the crime using DNA found on a leather knife sheath left at the scene and cellphone pings that placed him near the victims’ home several times before the attack.

A white Hyundai Elantra connected to Kohberger was also recorded in the area on the night of the murders.

Court documents revealed police also recovered a knife, a Glock pistol, black gloves, a black hat, and a black face mask during a search of Kohberger’s family home. Kohberger was indicted by a grand jury in May 2023.

His defense team has questioned the accuracy of the DNA evidence and succeeded in moving the trial’s location, arguing Kohberger would not receive a fair trial from local jurors.

However, they failed to have the death penalty removed as a sentencing option despite citing an autism diagnosis for Kohberger.

Idaho is one of 27 US states that allow capital punishment, but no executions have taken place in the state since 2012, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Local media reported that a hearing for the plea deal was set for Wednesday, while a judge in Pennsylvania ruled that three people who knew Kohberger must travel to Idaho to testify for the defense.

In response to the development 18-year-old Aubrie Goncalves - sister of Kaylee Goncalves - wrote on Facebook: “The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” per the New York Post.

Meanwhile, many details about the case remain under seal due to a gag order limiting what parties can publicly share, and it is unclear whether the plea deal will lead to additional information being released.

Featured image credit: Monroe County Correctional Facility via Getty Images

Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students, reportedly went back to the scene of the crime to take a chilling photo.

Kohberger, now 31, confessed in a Boise courtroom to the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, crimes that took place on November 13, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho.

Judge Steven Hippler called on Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson to lay out the case details following the guilty plea.

Thompson shared many previously known details, including video footage of a car similar to Kohberger's near the scene on the night of the murders and Kohberger’s purchase of the same weapon used in the killings on Amazon.

A chilling detail was also revealed: Kohberger returned to the murder scene a few hours after the killings, before the victims’ bodies were discovered, per PEOPLE.

According to Thompson, Kohberger’s phone was tracked to the residence at around 9:00AM and stayed for about 10 minutes before he returned to his Washington State University dorm.

Once back, Kohberger took a selfie grinning with a thumbs-up gesture.

The confession came just two days after Kohberger struck a deal with prosecutors, where he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

In exchange, the prosecution agreed not to seek the death penalty and instead recommended four consecutive life sentences plus up to 10 years on the burglary charge. Kohberger also waived his right to file an appeal and to a jury trial, per ABC News.

In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without parole, as well as another ten years for burglary. He was also ordered to pay a combined fine of $250,000 and $20,000 combined in restitution.

Kohberger, a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested in December 2022 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.

Police linked him to the murders using DNA found on a leather knife sheath left at the scene and cellphone pings that placed him near the home multiple times before the attack.

A white Hyundai Elantra connected to Kohberger was also recorded near the crime scene that night.

Court documents revealed police recovered a knife, a Glock pistol, black gloves, a black hat, and a black face mask during a search of Kohberger’s family home. Kohberger was indicted by a grand jury in May 2023.

His defense team questioned the DNA evidence’s accuracy and moved the trial location, arguing Kohberger would not receive a fair trial locally.

They cited Kohberger’s autism diagnosis while attempting, unsuccessfully, to have the death penalty removed as a sentencing option.

The plea deal has divided the victims’ families. The Mogen and Chapin families supported the deal, while the Kernodle and Goncalves families expressed disappointment, wanting the case to go to trial.

The Goncalves family confirmed the plea agreement on Facebook, writing: “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us.”

Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson acknowledged the family’s pain, stating in a letter: “We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family. 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.”

Aubrie Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, wrote on Facebook, cited by the New York Post: “The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel.”

Featured image credit: Pool / Getty

Prosecutors have confirmed that they will be seeking the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of murdering four university students in Moscow, Idaho.

Kohberger, 28, is currently facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary after four students were killed at their home off-campus last November.

Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, were stabbed to death in the late-night attack on November 13, while two others in the home were unharmed.

Following a six-week manhunt, Kohberger was arrested on suspicion of the murders, but a judge entered a "not guilty" plea on his behalf in May after he chose to "stand silent" in court.

In a new court filing, prosecutors wrote: "Considering all evidence currently known to the State, the State is compelled to file this notice of intent to seek the death penalty."

Top prosecutor Bill Thompson added that the case met the standard for the death penalty as the acts were "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel" and "exhibited utter disregard for human life".

The statement read: "The State gives this notice based on the fact that it has not identified or been provided with any mitigating circumstances sufficient to prohibit the triers of fact from considering all penalties authorized by the Idaho legislature including the possibility of a capital sentence.

"Consequently, considering all evidence currently known to the State, the State is compelled to file this notice of intent to seek the death penalty."

Investigators revealed that DNA had been found on a "leather knife sheath" at the scene and documents which were unsealed in January showed that police collected a knife, Glock pistol, black gloves, a black hat, and a black face mask while searching Kohberger's home.

Police also seized his white 2015 Hyundai Elantra, which eyewitnesses had claimed to see in the area around the time, and dismantled the vehicle.

Kohberger's attorney has criticized the prosecution for relying on investigative genetic genealogy - which is when DNA from crime scenes is used to identify suspects through other genetic DNA profiles or matches - calling it a "bizarrely complex DNA tree experiment".

According to the prosecution, the FBI went to public DNA sites to match the results found on the knife sheath, allowing them to hone in on Kohberger as the main suspect.

Kohberger had been studying for a PhD in criminology at Washington State University, just eight miles across the Idaho/Washington border from Moscow, where the murders took place.

Following the news that the death penalty would be sought, Goncalves' family said they were "grateful" for the decision, adding in a statement: "We continue to pray for all the victims families and appreciate all the support we have received."

Kohberger's trial is due to begin on October 2.

Featured image credit: Monroe County Correctional Facility via Getty Images

More than a year after the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger faced sentencing Wednesday in a Boise courtroom, but offered no explanation for his actions.

The 30-year-old former criminology PhD student was handed four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the November 2022 killings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

He was also sentenced to 10 years for burglary and ordered to pay nearly $290,000 in restitution to the victims’ families.

As families and survivors sat in the courtroom waiting for answers, Kohberger was given the opportunity to speak. Rising slightly from his seat, he delivered just three words: “I respectfully decline.”

Judge Steven Hippler, who oversaw the hearing, addressed the moment directly. “The more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more power and control we give to him,” Hippler said, per Fox News. “In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger’s 15 minutes of fame.”

Kohberger had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder earlier this month, avoiding a death sentence through a plea agreement.

Prosecutors said he broke into the students’ off-campus home in the early hours of November 13, 2022, and used a military-style Ka-Bar knife to carry out the attack, BBC News detailed.

Investigators believe he began by killing Mogen and Goncalves in an upstairs bedroom before moving to the main floor to stab Kernodle and Chapin. All four students were found dead in their beds.

The crime shocked the nation and prompted a lengthy investigation that led authorities to Kohberger, a graduate student at nearby Washington State University.

In a press conference following the sentencing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the families' grief, saying (via NBC News): “We are so sorry for the pain and the grief you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer. Our nation grieves with you.”

She added: “If it were up to President Trump, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls.”

Leavitt concluded her remarks by honoring the victims and offering condolences to their parents: “May God bless everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy, especially the parents who lost their children.”

Meanwhile, prosecutors requested that the court extend the no-contact orders barring Kohberger from communicating with the victims’ families.

Those orders currently expire in January 2027, but prosecutors are seeking to lengthen them by an additional 99 years to protect the families from future harassment or trauma.

Featured image credit: Pool / Getty Images.

A prosecutor has emotionally detailed the step-by-step account of how Bryan Kohberger brutally killed four Idaho students.

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to killing the four Idaho students. Credit: Pool / Getty

On Wednesday (June 2), Kohberger pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

As the 30-year-old former criminology PhD student entered his guilty plea, he waived his right to a trial that had been scheduled for August.

In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the death penalty, sparing him execution by firing squad. Kohberger will serve four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus up to 10 years for burglary, while waiving his rights to appeal.

The plea deal has divided the victims’ families. The Goncalves family wrote on Facebook: “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us.”

Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson acknowledged the family’s pain, stating: “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.”

During the hearing, Thompson choked up as he laid out what a weeks-long trial would have revealed about the cold-blooded murders that Kohberger admitted to committing.

“He killed - intentionally, willfully, deliberately, with premeditation, and with malice and forethought - Maddy Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle,” Thompson told the court, cited by The New York Post.

The suspect's confession came as prosecutors presented extensive evidence pointing to his guilt.

They revealed that Kohberger may have spent nearly six months planning the murders, purchasing a military-grade Ka-Bar knife from Amazon in March 2022 while living in Pennsylvania, then moving to Pullman, Washington, in June to attend Washington State University, just minutes from the Moscow crime scene.

Kohberger's phone began pinging near the victims’ home at odd hours, including 23 instances between 10PM and 4AM, but prosecutors said there was no evidence he ever had direct contact with the victims.

On November 13, 2022, he turned off his phone around 2AM in Pullman before it reconnected near Moscow around 5AM, during the time prosecutors say he killed the four students. Security footage captured his white Hyundai Elantra near the scene.

Donning a dark face mask, he entered the house through a sliding glass door around 4AM and climbed to the third floor, where 21-year-olds Mogen and Goncalves were sleeping.

Using his seven-inch Ka-Bar knife, Kohberger killed them both, leaving behind the sheath containing his DNA. As he left the room, he encountered 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, who was awake after receiving a food delivery.

“Her room was not on the third floor, it was on the second floor,” Thompson said, his voice shaking. “He encountered Xana, and he ended up killing her, also with a large knife.”

Kohberger then entered Kernodle’s room, where her boyfriend, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, was sleeping, and killed him as well.

“We will not represent that he intended to commit all of the murders that he did that night, but we know that that is what resulted,” Thompson added.

Two roommates survived the brutal murders, including one who saw a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” leaving the house.

Security footage captured Kohberger’s car leaving the neighborhood around 5:30AM. Later that morning, his phone data put him back at the crime scene around 9AM, before returning to Pullman, where he took a picture of himself giving a thumbs-up in his bathroom mirror.

In the days after the murders, Kohberger traveled to Lewiston, Idaho, a town with fast-moving rivers where prosecutors believe he may have disposed of the murder weapon, which has never been found.

He also searched online for another knife, tried to delete his Amazon purchase history, and changed his car registration from Pennsylvania to Idaho to avoid suspicion.

“Mr. Kohberger proceeded to finish his semester of studies at Washington State University and return to Pennsylvania for the holidays,” Thompson said.

His four victims were pictured just days before the horrific crime. Credit: Instagram/Kaylee Goncalves

Investigators identified Kohberger as a suspect after DNA from a Q-tip found in his parents’ trash matched DNA on the knife sheath left at the crime scene. Police later discovered his Pullman apartment nearly vacant, with his car “meticulously cleaned” inside.

“Spartan would be a kind characterization,” Thompson said. “Those compartments in the doors where you try to keep them clean, where you put stuff? There’s always some degree of crud in there – they were spotless.”

During a search of his family’s Pennsylvania home, cops discovered black gloves, a Glock pistol, a black hat, a black face mask, and a knife. Prosecutors noted Kohberger’s criminology studies appeared to help in his attempts to cover up the crime.

“In fact, he did a detailed paper on crime scene processing when he was working on his pre-doctorate degree,” Thompson said. “He had that knowledge and skill.”

Kohberger will serve four consecutive life sentences without parole. Credit: Pool / Getty

Despite the overwhelming evidence, prosecutors said Kohberger’s motive remains unclear, and his guilty plea means he has no legal obligation to explain why he killed the four students.

Kohberger’s sentencing is set for July 23, where families will deliver victim impact statements before the court imposes his life sentences.

It remains unclear if he will address the court.

Our thoughts continue to be with the families of all the victims.

Featured image credit: Pool / Getty