BRYAN Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students on Wednesday, bringing an abrupt end to the years-long mystery behind the slashing deaths.
Families of the victims cried out in protest after the 30-year-old disgraced graduate student struck a deal with prosecutors, as even the judge admitted the decision blindsided him.
APBryan Kohberger came to court on Wednesday to plead guilty to killing four University of Idaho students[/caption]
Instagram / @kayleegoncalvesHe was accused of killing, clockwise from top left, Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves[/caption]
APThe family of Ethan Chapin was escorted to the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, to hear the decision[/caption]
ReutersSteve Goncalves, Kaylee’s dad, refused to enter the courthouse as an act of protest against the plea deal[/caption]
Dressed in khakis and a shirt and tie, Kohberger entered the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, to admit to murdering Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on November 13, 2022.
When quizzed about the crime, the stone-faced killer spoke in public for the first time and solemnly answered the judge’s questions with yes or no.
At one point, the judge point-blank asked, “Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?” and Kohberger responded, “Yes” without showing any emotion.
He admitted to devising a sick plot that ended with him bursting into a Moscow home at 4 am while wearing a mask and brutally stabbing the students to death with a military grade knife.
The stunning U-turn came after Kohberger maintained his innocence for months, despite cops saying they uncovered DNA evidence, cellphone records, and other clues tying him to the scene when he was arrested six weeks after the killings.
Kohberger’s lawyers were preparing to present alternate theories on what happened that bloody night when the trial began in August, and even the judge admitted he had no idea the proceedings would come to a halt.
In Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Steven Hippler apologized to the families for the rushed meeting, and said he wasn’t made aware of the plea change until Monday afternoon.
The judge started the hearing by rebuking the public for calling his office and attempting to influence the court’s decision.
He defended prosecutors and said that it was up to their office to decide what charges they wished to pursue.
Families of victims wiped their tears as they listened to his responses, while Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s dad, refused to enter the building as an act of protest against the deal.
Kohberger’s parents had a sad look on their faces, but didn’t cry while their son revealed the truth behind the slayings, according to NewsNation’s Brian Entin.
Kohberger’s plea means that he will dodge what was expected to be a lengthy, high-profile trial.
Outraged family members of the victims have blasted the move, as they hoped Kohberger would be forced to explain himself in front of a jury.
Legal experts now speculate that he could keep his motives under wraps as part of the deal..
Aubrie Goncalves, Kaylee’s 18-year-old sister, described the last-minute move as “shocking and cruel” and said her family is “beyond furious” at how the deal was handled.
Under Idaho law, prosecutors must consult with the family of victims before they can come to an agreement with a defendant. However, the Goncalves family claims they were just sent an email with the details.
“What the families of Ethan, Kaylee, Maddie, and Xana have endured over the past 2 year and a half is beyond comprehension,” Aubrie wrote in a statement on Monday.
APKohberger wore khaki pants and a shirt and tie[/caption]
APHe solemly answered the judge’s questions during the hearing[/caption]
She said the “system has failed” the victims and their families as they held onto hope Kohberger would face justice in his trial scheduled to start in August.
“The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” Aubrie wrote.
The heartbroken sister said that she is “not asking for vengeance” but wanted “accountability” and “dignity for our loved ones.”
“And we are asking—pleading—for a justice system that truly lives up to its name,” she said.
Other families had different reactions to the news and said that they hope to finally move on once proceedings are over.
Ben Mogen, Madison’s dad, said that he was relieved to hear of the deal and hopes that other families can put the tragedy behind them.
“If you get that quick death sentence, you don’t have to spend decades thinking about how terrible you made the world,” he told CBS News.
“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.”
University of Idaho murders timeline
On November 13, 2022, a brutal home invasion claimed the lives of four University of Idaho students.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in a Moscow, Idaho, off-campus home.
A six-week manhunt ensued as cops searched for a suspect.
On December 30, 2022, Bryan Kohberger, 30, was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania – 2,500 miles away from the crime scene.
He was taken into custody and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Kohberger, a former criminal justice student at Washington State University, was linked to the crime scene through phone records, his car’s location, and DNA evidence found at the home where the murders took place.
The house was demolished in December 2023 despite backlash from the victims’ families.
Kohberger was held at Latah County Jail where he awaited trial.
On September 9, 2024, an Idaho judge ruled to move the upcoming murder trial out of Moscow after Kohberger’s lawyer argued that the town was prejudiced against him.
The trial was expected to start in August 2025.
But on June 30, 2025, Kohberger struck a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to the charges, according to court filings.
The move was blasted by the victims’ families, who wanted Kohberger to face justice through a trial.
HAUNTING CRIME
Kohberger was working towards a Ph.D. in criminology at nearby Washington State University when he attacked the young students.
According to his phone records, which NBC’s Dateline obtained, he obsessively looked up female students on Instagram, including sorority girls who were friends with some of the victims.
Former classmates say that Kohberger struggled in school and was even disciplined for how he treated people in his cohort.
In a response to the trial chaos, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson penned a letter sharing his hopes that the families could now be at peace.
“We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” he said in the note seen by the Idaho Statesman.
“This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family.
“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.”
Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He will be sentenced on July 23.
During his sentencing, victims will be able to read impact statements as he sits in the room.
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