Bryan Kohberger sentence updates: Families of Idaho victims address 'soulless' killer directly; 'You were that foolish'
For the first time Wednesday, Bryan Kohberger, who murdered for University of Idahoi students inside their off-campus house in November 2022 in a bone-chilling incident, came face to face with the families of three of the victims -- — Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20 — who are giving impact statements that are expected to last all day.
Parents of Ethan Chapin, 20, said they recently found 'big-time closure' and will not attend the sentencing.
Kaylee Goncalves' father Steve Goncalves told Kohberger he was so stupid to leave the lazy trail of evidence that he was found to be the culprit within minutes. "You were that foolish, that careless, that stupid," Goncalves said, explaining how police told him Kohberger's DNA was found "within minutes" along with footage of his car arriving and leaving the scene of the crime.
"We knew from the very beginning we had you," the father said.
The case drew nationwide attention due to its chilling nature and the lengthy, intense investigation that followed. On November 13, 2022, the four students were found fatally stabbed. The crime scene was horrific, and the small college town was left shaken. A month-long investigation led authorities to Kohberger, a 28-year-old PhD criminology student at nearby Washington State University.
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Crucial forensic evidence linked Kohberger to the crime. Investigators recovered a knife sheath at the scene with his DNA on it, and used genetic genealogy, comparing DNA from a Q-tip found in his family's trash, to confirm the match. Surveillance footage and cell phone data showed Kohberger's vehicle near the crime scene around the time of the murders. Authorities also noted that he cleaned out his vehicle and apartment meticulously, suggesting a cover-up attempt.
Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania on December 30, 2022, and extradited to Idaho in early 2023.
Kohberger pleaded guilty to the stabbing and already agreed to accept four consecutive life sentences as part of a plea deal that allows him to avoid the death penalty.
But after all these years of investigation, the motive of the brutal murder is still not known. It is not known whether Kohberger will speak at the sentencing.
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