Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, has agreed to plead guilty to all charges in a deal that will spare him the death penalty, according to a letter sent to victims’ families.
Under the agreement, Kohberger will plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. He will be sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders, and an additional 10 years — the maximum penalty — for the burglary charge.
Sentencing is expected to take place later this month, pending a change of plea hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Prosecutors confirmed the plea deal in a letter to the victims’ families.
Deal Ends Death Penalty Trial
Kohberger’s guilty plea comes just weeks before his trial was set to begin in August. Jury selection had been scheduled for August 4, with opening arguments slated for August 18.
The letter explained that Kohberger’s defense team reached out last week to discuss a possible resolution. After consulting with the victims’ families, prosecutors presented Kohberger with a formal plea offer.
“This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of appeals,” prosecutors wrote. “Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making.”
As part of the deal, Kohberger will waive all rights to appeal. The state will also seek financial restitution for the victims’ families.
Goncalves Family Slams Prosecutors for Rushing Deal
While the plea deal brings an end to the case, not all of the victims’ families support the outcome.
The family of Kaylee Goncalves blasted the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office, claiming they were kept in the dark about the details and timeline.
“They vaguely mentioned a possible plea on Friday, without seeking our input, and presented the plea on Sunday,” the family said in a statement. “We received an email with a letter attached — that’s how we were informed. They’re rushing the plea, giving families just one day to appear at the courthouse for a hearing.”
The family called the resolution “a secretive deal” and accused the prosecutor’s office of treating the victims’ families like “opponents from the outset.”
A Crime That Shook a College Town
On the night of November 13, 2022, roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
Two roommates survived the attack. One of them told investigators she saw a man with “bushy eyebrows” walking past her in the house the night of the killings.
The brutal crime shocked the tight-knit university town and made national headlines, leading to a high-profile, nearly seven-week manhunt.
Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, was arrested at his parents’ Pennsylvania home in December 2022. Prosecutors say DNA found on a KA-BAR knife sheath at the scene matched Kohberger’s.
His defense team has maintained he was out driving alone at the time of the murders.
University and Families Respond
The University of Idaho issued a statement Monday offering condolences to the families.
“We keep the families of the victims in our hearts as each deals with this outcome in their own way,” the university said. “No outcome can replace what they lost. We will never forget the four incredible lives taken.”
As the plea hearing approaches, families now prepare for closure — though many say true justice will be harder to find.
