Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty to Killing Four University of Idaho Students

Bryan Kohberger, a 30-year-old criminology student, pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, accepting four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole to avoid the death penalty. The victims, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, were fatally stabbed in their off-campus home in November 2022, a crime that shocked the small college town of Moscow. Despite Kohberger's admission, the plea deal sparked division among the victims' families, with some feeling let down by the lack of full disclosure, including the whereabouts of the murder weapon. The university community expressed a commitment to healing, highlighting memorial services and the creation of a healing garden, while also purchasing and demolishing the crime scene home. Prosecutors detailed that Kohberger deliberately stabbed each victim, but the motive remains unclear, and some defense claims about alternative suspects and withheld evidence remain unresolved. Kohberger waived his right to appeal, and his formal sentencing is scheduled for July 23, 2025.