Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to murder in Idaho student stabbings to avoid death penalty
Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the family of Kaylee Goncalves, confirmed Monday that prosecutors informed the families of the deal by email and letter earlier in the day, and that his clients were upset about it.
'We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho," Goncalves' family wrote in a Facebook post. "They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.'
A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday, but the family has asked prosecutors to delay it to give them more time to travel to Boise, Gray said. Kohberger's trial was set for August in Boise, where it was moved following pretrial publicity in rural northern Idaho.
Kohberger, 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, early on Nov. 13, 2022. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.
At the time, Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) west of the University of Idaho. He was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, weeks later. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene.
No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the attacker spared two roommates who were in the home. Authorities have said cellphone data and surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims' neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings.
The murders shocked the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn't had a homicide in about five years, and prompted a massive hunt for the perpetrator. That included an elaborate effort to track down a white sedan that was seen on surveillance cameras repeatedly driving by the rental home, to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect through the use of genetic genealogy and to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings through cellphone data.
In a court filing, Kohberger's lawyers said he was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed.
In the letter to families, obtained by ABC News, prosecutors said Kohberger's lawyers approached them seeking to reach a plea deal. The defense team had previously made unsuccessful efforts to have the death penalty stricken as a possible punishment, including arguing that Kohberger's autism diagnosis made him less culpable.
The prosecutors said they met with available family members last week before deciding to make Kohberger an offer.
'This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,' the letter said. '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. Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.'
In a Facebook post, the Goncalves family wrote that Kaylee's 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, had been unable to attend the meeting with prosecutors. But she shared her concerns in a written statement.
'Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,' Aubrie Goncalves wrote. 'Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims' pasts.'
In Idaho, judges may reject plea agreements, though such moves are rare. If a judge rejects a plea agreement, the defendant is allowed to withdraw the guilty plea.
Earlier Monday, a Pennsylvania judge had ordered that three people whose testimony was requested by defense attorneys would have to travel to Idaho to appear at Kohberger's trial.
The defense subpoenas were granted regarding a boxing trainer who knew Kohberger as a teenager, a childhood acquaintance of Kohberger's and a third man whose significance was not explained.
A gag order has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial.
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Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Idaho murders fanatics turn on ageing prosecutor for offering Bryan Kohberger plea-deal
Idaho murders fanatics are calling for the resignation of the ageing prosecutor who offered Bryan Kohberger a plea deal. Kohberger, 30, was due to face a capital murder trial in August for the November 2022 murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen. But Latah County prosecutors have offered Kohberger a deal that will see him spared the death penalty in return for a guilty plea for the slayings and life behind bars without the prospect of parole, it was announced Monday. Prosecuting attorney Bill Thompson, who brokered the plea bargain, was slammed by one victim's family after he 'decided to play God and decide what this man's decision should be' instead of leaving it up to a jury. Thompson has now come under fire by local Idahoans and crime fanatics alike, with several urging Latah County to replace him. The ageing Democrat, who is listed as being either 68 or 72 according to publicly-available records, has served as Latah County Prosecutor since 1992. Although it is unclear why Thompson agreed to the plea, removing the possibility of a death sentence off the table, some suggest it is because the 'prosecution was in over their heads'. Others suspect Thompson, whose reported $118,380 salary is nearly double the county average, wanted to avoid a lengthy trial and multi-year appeal process. It has also been speculated that the Kohberger trial may have delayed his plans to retire and that he did not want to handle a monster case in the twilight of his career. The Daily Mail has approached him for further comment on the plea deal. Colton Bennett, a Republican Army veteran who is running for state representative in Idaho's 2026 election, led the calls for Thompson's ousting overnight. He branded the prosecutor as 'radical' and urged Latah County lawyers who are interesting in replacing Thompson to 'reach out to our candidate recruitment chair'. 'We will help you get elected,' Bennett, a precinct committeeman for the Latah County Republican Party, added. Bennett's call was echoed by several true crime fanatics who took to social media to express their disgust by Thompson's move. 'There's nothing worse than self-serving prosecutors, like Idaho's Bill Thompson, who don't give a damn about justice,' one X user wrote. 'They only care about clearing cases in the way that's easiest and cheapest for them.' Another added: 'He is old and probably did not want to have to stay in Boise for the duration of the trail. So disgraceful.' Others branded the plea offering as a 'chicken s*** move' that they allege is not in line with what the victims' families want. 'There was no reason to offer a plea in this case,' one social media user wrote. 'State didn't want it, parent didn't want it, community didn't want it. This liberal piece of s*** wanted it.' The Goncalves and Kernodle families have both publicly blasted the plea bargain, claiming that it offers them no justice. But Madison Mogen's father says their family finds some comfort in the plea deal because it allows them to avoid a trial that will reopen the wounds they have already started trying to heal. Some social media users have rushed to Thompson's defense, claiming a plea deal is in the best interest of all parties involved in the case. 'He actually made the right call for once. The prosecution was in over their heads and the possibility AT could introduce reasonable doubt was too high. It's already cost a fortune too, one wrote. 'Death penalty would give a lifetime of appeals and costs associated with it. The families would be in constant turmoil following appeals. This way it can be brought to an end,' echoed another. One X user added: 'I think he made the right decision. The families may feel disappointed, but the appeals would have dragged on for years & years. 'Hope they come to realize the wisdom of skipping all that. Now the families can spend less time focused on him, and more time on healing themselves.' There is still a small chance the plea deal could be rejected during Wednesday's hearing. If that happens, the full trial will move ahead as planned from August 18. In Idaho, judges may reject plea agreements, though such moves are rare. If a judge rejects a plea agreement, the defendant is allowed to withdraw the guilty plea. Bennett branded the prosecutor as 'radical' and urged Latah County lawyers who are interesting in replacing Thompson to 'reach out to our candidate recruitment chair' Prosecutors said they met with available family members last week before deciding to make Kohberger an offer. 'This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,' a letter to the victims' families that was signed by Thompson and his deputy Ashley Jennings said. '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. 'Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.' The deal offered by Latah County prosecutors would have the former criminology graduate student plead guilty to the murders and a burglary charge, in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. A change of plea hearing is set for Wednesday, but the Goncalves family has asked prosecutors to delay it to give them more time to travel to Boise, Gray said. Kohberger's trial was set for August in Boise, where it was moved following pretrial publicity in rural northern Idaho. The defense team had previously made unsuccessful efforts to have the death penalty stricken as a possible punishment, including arguing that Kohberger's autism diagnosis made him less culpable. Thompson has now come under fire by local Idahoans and crime fanatics alike, with several suggesting he offered the plea because the 'prosecution was in over their heads' Investigators allege Kohberger slipped into the Goncalves, Chapin, Kernodle and Mogen's home undetected at around 4am on Nov. 13, 2022. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. At the time, Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, about 9 miles west of the University of Idaho. He was arrested at his parents' Pennsylvania home weeks later. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene. No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the attacker spared two roommates who were in the home. Authorities have said cellphone data and surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims' neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings. In a court filing, Kohberger's lawyers said he was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed. Kohberger's guilty plea is expected to be formalized during a hearing Wednesday, and is intended to spare him from facing the death penalty, the Goncalves family said in a statement shared by their lawyer Shannon Gray. 'After more than two years, this is how it concludes with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims' families on the plea's details,' the family wrote. Some social media users have rushed to Thompson's defense, claiming a plea deal is in the best interest of all parties involved in the case The Goncalves family had demanded the death penalty, and successfully advocated for the passage of a new law in Idaho which allows death row inmates to be executed by firing squad. On a Facebook page, the Goncalves family expressed bitter heartbreak, calling the prosecution's pending plea deal 'shocking and cruel' after years of waiting for the trial to begin. 'Bryan Kohberger facing life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,' the victim's 18-year-old sister Aubrie Goncalves wrote. 'Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims' pasts.' Xana Kernodle's aunt was also reportedly so enraged by the plea deal that she was brought to tears. Kim Kernodle explained to TMZ that prosecutors told her Kohberger's defense team approached them with a plea deal over the weekend and prosecutors agreed to go along with it to 'spare the families' the pain of a trial. She claimed the prosecutors were especially concerned that the families would have to see gruesome crime scene photos of their loved ones - though Kernodle said, 'We know the graphics. They were not trying to spare us.' Kernodle also claimed that prosecutors did not mention they were taking death penalty off the table when they met on Friday, when she said prosecutors acknowledged they have enough evidence to secure a guilty verdict. The route allegedly driven Bryan Kohberger allegedly drove on the night of the brutal Idaho murders, based on cellphone data The extraordinary picture taken hours after the alleged crime shows Kohberger smirking and offering a 'thumbs up' to the camera Gray confirmed Monday that prosecutors informed the families of the deal by email and letter earlier in the day, and that his clients were upset about it. The families spoke with the prosecution on Friday about the idea of a plea deal and they explained they were firmly against it. By Sunday, they received an email that sent them 'scrambling,' and met with the prosecution again on Monday to explain their views about pushing for the death penalty. A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday, but the Goncalves family has asked prosecutors to delay it to give them more time to travel to Boise, Gray said. Kohberger's trial was set for August in Boise, where it was moved following pretrial publicity in rural northern Idaho.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Man ‘dismembered couple, left some remains in freezer and took rest to bridge'
A man 'decapitated and dismembered' two men and left their heads in a freezer before travelling to the Clifton Suspension Bridge with other parts of their bodies, a court heard. Yostin Andres Mosquera, 35, is on trial for the murders of Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71, on July 8 last year in the flat the two shared in Scotts Road, Shepherd's Bush, west London. Mosquera is alleged to have repeatedly stabbed Mr Alfonso, who suffered injuries to his torso, face and neck, while Mr Longworth was attacked with a hammer to the back of his head and his 'skull shattered', Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, told jurors at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday. Two days later, at about 11.30pm, a cyclist on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol saw the defendant standing next to a 'large red suitcase', and thought he was a tourist so stopped to see if he was ok, and a few metres away from the defendant was a silver trunk, Ms Heer added. The defendant told the cyclist he was from Colombia and that the suitcases contained car parts. 'That was a lie,' Ms Heer said. 'In fact the suitcases contained the decapitated and dismembered bodies of Paul Longworth and Albert Alfonso, which the defendant had taken to Bristol from their home in London where they had been killed two days before.' Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth's decapitated heads were found by police in a chest freezer in their flat, the court heard. Mosquera has admitted that he killed Mr Alfonso, and Ms Heer added 'the killing took place while he and Mr Alfonso were having sex and the sex and the killing were recorded on film'. Mosquera has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Alfonso, but denies both charges of murder, the jury was told. The defendant denies that he killed Mr Longworth at all, he blames Mr Alfonso for the killing of Mr Longworth, Ms Heer said. Ms Heer said: 'The prosecution case is that the defendant murdered both men, intending to kill them, and that his actions were planned, they were premeditated, and having killed them, the evidence demonstrates the defendant attempted to steal from them.' At the time of their deaths, Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth lived together. Mr Alfonso worked as a swimming instructor at a gym and Mr Longworth was retired, used to work as a handyman and was a regular customer at his local pub, the prosecution said. Mr Alfonso 'liked extreme sex' which he videoed and posted online, she added. Jurors were told they will hear from a witness called James Smith, which is a pseudonym, who had known Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth for about 18 years and by the time that they died he 'considered them to be close friends'. He regularly engaged in acts of sexual domination with Mr Alfonso for which he was paid and some of the encounters were posted online, Ms Heer said. Mr Smith's description of his early relationship is 'undoubtedly troubling', Ms Heer said, adding Mr Smith 'recalls getting drunk with Mr Alfonso only to be told the following morning that they had sex and Mr Alfonso had filmed it'. She said Mr Alfonso said he would not show anyone else as long as he agreed to do him sexual favours and Mr Smith agreed, then told Mr Alfonso in due course he was not into the sex so Mr Alfonso told him about sexual domination and Mr Smith agreed. Over time both Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth became in Mr Smith's own description 'like family to him' and would spend time together doing other things, Ms Heer said. Mr Longworth had 'nothing to do with that side of Albert Alfonso's life, although he knew about it and, it seems, that he accepted it', the prosecution said. Mosquera is a Colombian national who was visiting Mr Alfonso at the time of the killings, and Ms Heer described the defendant as a 'pornographic performer'. James Smith was introduced to the defendant in October 2023 while the defendant was visiting Mr Alfonso and the UK. Mr Alfonso invited Mr Smith to join in one of the sex sessions between him and the defendant and Mr Smith agreed, the court heard. According to Mr Smith, the defendant 'seemed friendly' and told him that 'like him, he was also doing it for the money', the prosecution said. On July 8 last year, Mr Alfonso worked an early shift at the gym and it was while he was out that the prosecution say the defendant killed Mr Longworth, the court heard. The defendant brought a laptop with him when he came to the UK which was seized and examined by digital forensic specialists and they found the laptop has a fault in the way that it records time, Ms Heer said. The defendant allegedly accessed Facebook Marketplace 'looking for a freezer' and Google and Youtube searches were also conducted on the laptop in Spanish, which is the defendant's first language, using search terms such as 'where on the head is a knock fatal', the prosecution said. Mr Alfonso was killed at about 10.15pm in his own bedroom, the court heard. The footage shows the defendant ended the sexual encounter by 'repeatedly stabbing' Mr Alfonso and 'cutting his throat'. At one point, with Mr Alfonso facing away from him, the defendant 'pulls Mr Alfonso's head back by the chin, with the other hand picks up the knife and 'inserts it quite deliberately and quite precisely into Mr Alfonso's neck', then Mr Alfonso 'begins to struggle, but the defendant, younger, fitter and stronger, managed to overpower him and repeatedly stab him' and at one point asks 'do you like it', Ms Heer said. Ms Heer said: 'What is striking, the prosecution say, when you watch the footage, is just how calm and in control the defendant remains throughout. 'Indeed so unconcerned does he appear by what he's just done that as Mr Alfonso lies on the floor dead or dying the defendant starts to sing to himself and break into a dance at one point.' The jury was then shown clips of the video. The defendant then started using Mr Alfonso's computer and examination of the computer shows the defendant looking at banking information relating to Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth before compiling a PowerPoint document of that information, the jury heard. The defendant tried to send £4,000 to his own account in Colombia, before going to a cashpoint and withdrawing money, Ms Heer said. Having allegedly killed Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth, the prosecution said the defendant set about 'dismembering them' before 'transferring some of their remains to Bristol in an attempt, the prosecution say, to dispose of them at the Clifton Suspension Bridge'. On July 10 the defendant was driven to Bristol and was on the bridge when bridge staff 'noticed something appeared to be leaking from the red suitcase' and the defendant said it was oil, the staff shone their torches on the suitcases and the defendant began to walk away, saying he was going to get the other suitcase, but walked past it then broke into a run, the court heard. The defendant was arrested on July 13 at about 2.15am after being found sitting on a bench outside Bristol Temple Meads railway station, the jury was told. The defendant's case in relation to Mr Alfonso is he 'lost his self-control' in a way that 'reduces his responsibility from murder to a lesser offence of manslaughter'. The trial continues.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Man pleads guilty to murdering his mother in Clacton
A man has admitted to murdering his mother at his seaside Grange, 24, has pleaded guilty to murdering Rachel Dixon, 49, who died after being attacked on 21 March in Skelmersdale Road, Clacton-on-Sea, defendant was arrested at the was remanded in custody following Thursday's hearing and will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court in August. Det Ch Insp Greg Wood, who led the investigation, said: "Our thoughts remain with Rachel's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. We know this loss is felt widely."I hope the defendant's decision to plead guilty to this heinous crime will help Rachel's loved ones as they move forward." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
