MOSCOW, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, accused of brutally killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, has agreed to plead guilty to all charges, sparing himself from the death penalty in a surprising last-minute development.
The plea deal was revealed in a letter to the victims’ families, marking a dramatic shift in the high-profile case that captured national attention. Kohberger is expected to receive four consecutive life sentences and waive his right to appeal. A court hearing is scheduled for July 2, 2025.
The students—roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Xana’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin—were fatally stabbed in their off-campus apartment during the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. Two other roommates survived the attack, with one reporting seeing a masked man dressed in black near the residence that night.
Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, was arrested in December 2022 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania after a seven-week nationwide manhunt.
The Goncalves family expressed their disappointment on social media about the plea deal and the state’s decision to forgo the death penalty, saying, “We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us.”
As the community continues to grapple with the tragedy, the upcoming sentencing hearing will formally close this chapter of the case.
