Families Divided Over Plea Deal In University Of Idaho Murders Case
Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, agreed Monday to plead guilty which allows him to avoid facing the death penalty. Some of the victims’ families are upset, criticizing the prosecution for not going to trial, which was scheduled for August.
Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in connection with the Nov. 13, 2022 killings of roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin.
Under the agreement, he would waive his right to future appeals and face four consecutive life sentences — but he won’t have to face a jury or explain why he committed the crimes.
He will appear in court Wednesday for a change of plea hearing where he is expected to plead guilty and the judge is expected to move forward with the plea deal.
INSIDE THE MURDERS
Kohberger, a 30-year-old former Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, had previously pleaded not guilty.
DNA found on a knife sheath next to one of the victims’ bodies at the off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho where the four victims were stabbed to death helped lead to the plea agreement. Prosecutors also said they had cellphone data and surveillance footage placing Kohberger near the crime scene.
Kohberger was arrested more than a month after the attacks in his home state of Pennsylvania, after weeks of limited information from police.
The trial faced several delays, including venue changes and disputes over evidence.
Now, the plea deal could secure a conviction and avoid a prolonged trial, though the deal has drawn mixed reactions from the victims’ families.
FAMILIES REACT
The Goncalves family said they did not approve of the plea deal and suggested prosecutors failed their family. In a Facebook post, they said they heard about the deal in an email.
Kim Kernodle, victim Kernodle’s aunt, told TMZ that she agrees with the Goncalves family that Kohberger should have faced a jury. “We know the graphics. They were not trying to spare us,” she said.
Madison Mogen’s father, Ben, expressed support for the deal, telling CBS News that the plea agreement would allow his family to begin healing.
The family of victim Ethan Chapin said in a brief statement that they’ll be at Kohberger’s hearing on Wednesday “in support of the plea bargain.”
Bottom line: Prosecutors are state employees — not hired by the victims’ families. Different offices vary in how much they include victims in the process, but ultimately, it is up to the prosecution to decide whether to cut a deal. According to the American Bar Association, plea bargaining accounts for nearly 98 percent of federal convictions and 95 percent of state convictions in the U.S.
