Latest news with #pleaDeal
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
Outrage from Idaho stabbing victim's family over Bryan Kohberger plea deal
After Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the slaying of four Idaho college students in 2022, accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, some of the victims' family members have expressed outrage that the case won't go to trial as expected this summer. Kohberger, now 30, was charged in the murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. The four were found stabbed to death in their rental house close to the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger, who was studying criminal justice at the time at a nearby university, was arrested weeks after the murders in Pennsylvania, where his family lives. The Goncalves family confirmed in a statement to Reuters from their attorney that they learned of the plea deal in a letter from prosecutors and said prosecutors mishandled the deal. "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 Goncalves family said. "Adding insult to injury, they're rushing the plea, giving families just one day to coordinate and appear at the courthouse for a plea on July 2." The news of the agreement came after Kohberger's defense team faced additional setbacks in the upcoming murder trial, which was set to begin Aug. 18. On June 26, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler rejected the defense team's attempt to present an alternate perpetrator defense during the trial, saying the evidence presented was "irrelevant." A previous attempt to toss out DNA evidence linking Kohberger to the crime scene was also rejected. Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the Goncalves family, didn't immediately respond to an email from USA TODAY on July 1. Kohberger's attorney and the state attorney general's office also didn't immediately respond to inquiries. Steve Goncalves, the father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, told NewsNation's "Banfield" he wanted a jury to make a decision on Kohberger's fate. He said he wouldn't speak on behalf of other victims' families, but said multiple families believe the same as he does. "This is anything but justice. This is the opposite of our will. There was no majority believing that this was acceptable," Steve Goncalves said. Steve Goncalves told NewsNation he wants the judge to reject the plea agreement. "This is not justice. We had an outsider come to our community, kill our kids in their sleep while they're getting a college education, doing everything that they should do, and we don't have the courage to hold him accountable," he said. "No plea deal. Let's go for this guy. One hundred percent, let's do it." Kohberger is expected to change his plea from not guilty in the July 2 hearing. A judge previously entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. In Idaho, a judge isn't obligated to accept the terms of an agreement between prosecutors and a defendant, and Kohberger could withdraw the guilty plea if the judge rejects the agreement. His trial was expected to commence with jury selection on Aug. 4 and with opening statements on Aug. 18, Hippler wrote in a scheduling order last week. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryan Kohberger plea deal sparks outrage from victim's family
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
Bryan Kohberger accepts plea deal in Idaho college student murders, reports say
Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, has accepted a plea deal in the case that would spare him from the death penalty, the Idaho Statesman and Fox News reported. Kohberger, 30, is charged in the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The four were found stabbed in their rental house close to the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested in December 2022 after the town of Moscow was put on edge over the killings and lack of a suspect for weeks. He pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder. According to ABC News, citing a letter sent to victims' family members informing them of the plea deal, Kohberger agreed to plead guilty to all counts in the killings of the four students. ABC News reported that Kohberger agreed to four consecutive life sentences and waived his right to appeal. The letter, according to ABC News, said prosecutors expect Kohberger to be sentenced in late July if a guilty plea is entered as planned at a hearing July 2. His trial had been expected to start Aug. 18. "This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family," the letter said, ABC News reported. Officials at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise did not respond to USA TODAY's request for information. The murders horrified residents of Moscow, a quiet college town that hadn't reported a murder in five years, and drew national attention. Investigators worked to process the murder scene and connect a trail of evidence while families, friends, a school and a community grieved. Weeks after the murders, authorities arrested and charged Kohberger in Pennsylvania. Kohberger, who was 28 at the time, was a doctoral student in criminal justice at Washington State University, just over the state line, less than 10 miles from Moscow. At the time of his arrest in December 2022, public records listed Kohberger's home address as Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. He received an associate's degree in psychology from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania in 2018, the school confirmed to USA TODAY. Kohberger also attended DeSales University in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he received his bachelor's degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June, the school said in a statement. He graduated with a master of arts in criminal justice, according to the school's online commencement program. Timeline: University of Idaho murder case and the arrest of Bryan Kohberger A Reddit user named Bryan Kohberger, identifying himself as a student investigator, posted an item in the Prison and ExCons sub Reddits inviting users to participate in a research project to understand "how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime," USA TODAY reported. The post said the study, which sought to understand the stories behind the user's most recent criminal offense, had been approved by the DeSales University Institutional Review Board. The anonymous survey included questions such as: "Why did you choose that victim or target over others?" "What was the first move you made in order to accomplish your goal?" "Before leaving, is there anything else you did?" The victims − Chapin, Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves − all suffered multiple stab wounds. Chapin was Kernodle's boyfriend. Two other women in the house at the time survived. Responding to reports of the plea agreement, Goncalves' family said on Facebook: "It's true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support." (This story was updated to add new information.) Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, Trevor Hughes, Jeanine Santucci and Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryan Kohberger accepts plea deal in Idaho college student murders
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murders of 4 University of Idaho students
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty more than two years after the slayings shocked the nation and touched off a coast-to-coast manhunt. Kohberger, 30, admitted to carrying out the gruesome killings and agreed to the terms of the plea deal – four consecutive life sentences and no chance of appeal. Judge Steven Hippler opted on July 2 to accept the agreement, which has divided the victims' families. The guilty plea ensures Kohberger will avoid an upcoming trial and the possibility of capital punishment for the murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. All were found stabbed to death in the rental house near the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022. The murders shocked the campus community and horrified the residents of Moscow, a quiet college town in northern Idaho that hadn't reported a murder in five years. Weeks after the killings, Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his family lives. At the time of the murders, he was a doctoral student studying criminal justice at Washington State University, less than 10 miles from Moscow. At the hearing July 2, Kohberger sat still and appeared unemotional when the court read the names of the four students. Asked if he had committed the murders willfully and with premeditation, he replied with a flat "yes." Hippler set a sentencing hearing for July 23 and said it may continue into a second day to give the victims' families ample time to make statements before a sentence is officially handed down. The families of the four victims have been split in their reactions to the plea agreement. Some slammed the deal as an easy resolution for the courts that provides no closure to the families at the heart of the case. "This plea did not represent the victims' families, it represented an easy way out and no answers," the Goncalves family said in a statement that called the wait for a resolution a "torture chamber." "Everyone loves the justice system until you get involved in it," the family said in the statement provided by their attorney. "Then you really see that most of the time the cases and resolutions have nothing to do with the victims. At least that was our experience." The statement said that the family had hoped for answers about many details, including Kohberger's motive for killing, which has never been revealed. "Today was the day, the day for answers, the day to find out what happened, to find out really anything about what the Defendant did that night and why he took the lives of 4 beautiful people," the family said. "At least that's what we hoped for but hope is really all we had today." Others celebrated the potential end to the ordeal. Outside the courthouse, Leander James, an attorney for the parents of Madison Mogen, said "We support the plea agreement 100%." "We now embark on a new path," he told reporters. "We embark on a path of hope and healing.' The family of Ethan Chapin supports the deal, their spokesperson, Christina Teves, told the Associated Press. Kohberger's trial was expected to begin with jury selection on Aug. 4 and opening statements on Aug. 18. Prosecutors were set to present DNA evidence, cell phone records and surveillance footage to tie Kohberger to the stabbings. DNA found on the sheath of a knife left near one of the victims' bodies was a statistical match to Kohberger, authorities previously said. A police search warrant previously revealed Kohberger's phone was tracked near the students' house at least 12 times in the six months before the attack. Neighborhood security camera videos also helped police identify a car they said was owned by Kohberger. The car was seen on video at least four times in the early morning hours the day of the killings before speeding off, earlier court filings said. Kohberger's defense has previously claimed he was driving alone and not present at the victims' homes. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murders of 4 Idaho college students
Times
03-07-2025
- Times
Bryan Kohberger avoids death penalty for Idaho murders with guilty plea
Bryan Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the murders of four Idaho college students, sparing himself the death penalty and bringing closure to one of the most notorious crimes of recent years. The University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, were stabbed to death at home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022. Police believe they were likely to have been asleep when they were attacked, though some had defensive wounds. Kohberger, now 30, was studying criminology at the nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders and was arrested at his parents' Pennsylvania home about six weeks afterwards. The University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, second from left, front; Madison Mogen, second from left, top; Ethan Chapin, centre and Xana Kernodle, second from right, were stabbed to death in their beds ZUMA PRESS WIRE/SHUTTERSTOCK/REX This week, before his trial was due to begin in August in Boise, Idaho, prosecutors announced that a plea deal had been reached. Kohberger's guilty plea to the murders means he faces four consecutive life sentences and waives all rights to appeal. However, the deal took the death penalty off the table, to the anger of the Goncalves family. Judge Steven Hippler approved the deal during a hearing on Wednesday at the Ada county court in Boise, despite the objections of the family, which campaigned against the agreement in the hours before the hearing. Kohberger's eyes occasionally darted around the room as Hippler confirmed the four charges of first-degree murder and a felony charge of burglary. The judge told Kohberger that under the terms of the deal he could face ten years in state prison for burglary and four consecutive life sentences for murder. Bill Thompson, for the prosecution, outlined the state's evidence. Kohberger entered 1122 King Road through a sliding door in the kitchen after 4am before murdering four of the people inside. After stabbing Mogen to death, Thompson said Kohberger 'for whatever reason' left the knife sheath behind. His DNA was later found on the sheath, tying him to the crime. Other evidence included CCTV footage showing him in the area and mobile phone data pinpointing his movements. Kohberger enters the courtroom for his arraignment hearing in Latah County district court in May 2023 ZACH WILKINSON/THE MOSCOW-PULLMAN DAILY NEWS/AP Thompson said that the murder weapon had not been recovered. A selfie was discovered on Kohberger's phone, taken in his bathroom hours after the murders. He was giving a thumbs up. Kohberger was arrested in December at his parents' home in Pennsylvania. Detectives had conducted a night-time 'trash pull' at the property and matched his father's DNA to the knife sheath from a Q-tip. Kohberger, the court was told, had relied upon his criminology expertise and attempted to cover his tracks, including by cleaning his car. After hearing an outline of the state's case, the judge asked Kohberger for his plea on each charge. In a silent courtroom, families of the victims watched on and wept as Kohberger calmly replied 'guilty' to the five charges. Prosecutors told the victims' families on Monday that Kohberger's lawyers had asked for a plea deal last week, having tried and failed to have the death penalty ruled out. According to the Idaho Statesman, Thompson told the victims' families the deal was 'our sincere attempt to seek justice'. '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 other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals,' Thompson wrote. '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 interests of justice.' The case has attracted intense nationwide attention for two and a half years yet no motive for the murders has been offered by the prosecution. It also remains unclear why Kohberger spared two roommates at the home near the University of Idaho campus. Kohberger's sentencing date was set for July 23.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Bryan Kohberger's plea deal splits Idaho apart... as judge scolds people trying to sway his mind
The relatives of the Idaho murder victims are bitterly divided over Bryan Kohberger 's plea deal, which came at the 11th hour and was a shock even to the judge. Two families have slammed the deal for allowing him to avoid the death penalty, while the other two breathed a sigh of relief that the case never has to go to trial. Kohberger, 30, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to killing Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, on November 13, 2022. He made the bombshell admission at Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho, while sitting meters away from the heartbroken families who have waited years for justice. The plea deal was approved by Judge Steven Hippler, who was then inundated with calls from angry members of the public asking him to reject Kohberger's cowardly agreement. Hippler hit out at observers who had tried to influence his decision making, slamming it as 'inappropriate'. 'My role is to ensure the defendant's plea is given voluntarily,' Hippler said, adding that he only learned of the agreement on Monday. Several relatives of the victims broke down in tears in the courtroom - as did Prosecutor Bill Thompson when he read out the victims' names. The Goncalves and Kernodle families have said the plea pact means they will never have justice for their children who he brutally stabbed to death in one of the most horrific events ever to unfold on a college campus. Kaylee's family issued a statement blasting the prosecutor's office for making 'a deal with the devil' and spoke of their sense of betrayal over the backroom agreement. 'This ain't justice, no judge presided, no jury weighed the truth,' they wrote. '(Prosecutor Bill) Thompson robbed us of our day in court. No negotiations, no jury of our peers, not even the pretense of cooperation and fairness.' 'Instead, Thompson cut his deal with the devil, his negotiations didn't require anything other than a simple guilty plea,' their statement added. 'Allowing him the leeway to blame the same people you are paid to protect. You betrayed us, Thompson.' Goncalves' father, Steve, said outside the courtroom on Wednesday that he wanted to see Kohberger admit that 'he did it on his own and nobody else was responsible' so he would no longer have 'supporters'. 'He's not going to take accountability,' the anguished father added. When asked whether he thought four life sentences was justice, Goncalves said: 'No, of course not.' Over the past two years, the Goncalves family has publicly supported Kohberger receiving the death penalty if convicted of the murders. Steve was involved in pushing to pass the state law to make firing squad a legal method of execution, while some of their other loved ones have worn pro-death penalty shirts to court hearings. Kernodle's aunt, Kim, has echoed similar views. TMZ said she was so furious when she heard about the plea deal that she broke down in tears. She hit back against prosecutors' claims that the deal was brokered partly to spare the victims' families from the pain of the trial. Kernodle said they have already seen the gruesome pictures of the crime scene. 'We know the graphics. They were not trying to spare us,' she said. But for the family of Maddie Mogen, news of the deal came as a relief, because they wanted to move on with their lives while Kohberger never escapes jail. 'If you get that quick death sentence, you don't have to spend decades thinking about how terrible you made the world,' Maddie's father, Ben Mogen, told CBS News. 'We can actually put this behind us and not have these future dates and future things that we don't want to have to be at, that we shouldn't have to be at, that have to do with this terrible person,' he added. 'We get to just think about the rest of lives and have to try and figure out how to do it without Maddie and the rest of the kids.' Maddie Mogen's mother and stepfather, Karen and Scott Laramie, also said via a statement through their attorney that they supported the deal. Pictured: The family of Ethan Chapin including mother Stacy Chapin and father Jim Chapin arrive at Ada County Courthouse for Bryan Kohberger's plea deal hearing on Wednesday Their attorney, Leander James, said that they were in favor of the agreement '100 percent' as he spoke on their behalf outside Ada County Court on Wednesday. Ethan Chapin's parents, Stacey and Jim, also said they supported the deal in a brief statement, but did not elaborate on their reasons. They appeared at Kohberger's plea hearing along with Goncalves and Mogen families, as each sat meters away when their childrens' killer coldly pleaded guilty to ending each of their lives. Kernodle's family did not attend the hearing. Kohberger stared straight ahead and showed no sign of emotion as he admitted stabbing the happy college students to death in their off-campus home. The chilling hearing saw Kohberger break his silence in court for the first time, and he spoke only to answer in the affirmative when Judge Steven Hippler asked if he was guilty of the crimes, and whether he understood the terms of the plea agreement. When asked whether he was pleading guilty because he is guilty, he said: 'Yes'. Kohberger will be sentenced for his heinous crimes over two days at Ada County Courthouse from July 23. The court will also hear heart-wrenching victim impact statements from the victims' families.
