Bryan Kohberger comes face-to-face with parents of slain Idaho students
Bryan Kohberger was sentenced Wednesday after a plea deal following his confession to the Idaho student murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, avoiding the death penalty.
Coverage for this event has ended.
Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger was already in custody at the state prison in Kuna by Wednesday afternoon, a source with knowledge of the case told Fox News Digital.
The Idaho Department of Correction declined to give specific details about the transfer process.
"Once in IDOC custody, the person goes through a Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) process to evaluate their needs and determine appropriate housing placement; this process takes 7-14 days," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We wait until a person completes RDU to determine their classification, housing placement, and privileges."
This as new documents released by Moscow police about the case revealed Kohberger appeared to spy on police the night of the murders.
According to files, he used his phone to search for a police scanner in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022
Investigators found a search in Kohbergerâs Chrome history, showing he Googled: âBroadcastify.com/listen/feed, Pullman police and fire dispatch live audio feedâ at 12:26:49 a.m.
A fellow inmate said Bryan Kohberger barely slept at night, and would only take a short nap during the day.
He also washed his hands dozens of times each day, and spent 45 minutes to an hour in the shower each day.
Documents released by authorities on Wednesday say Kohberger's habits "quickly became annoying" to the fellow inmate.
A fellow inmate told investigators that Bryan Kohberger spent hours each day video chatting with his mother while in custody.
According to the interview, the inmate was watching sports during one of those calls and said âyou suckâ to a player on TV.
Kohberger, who overheard the comment, allegedly âimmediately got up and put his face to the barsâ and âaggressively asked if [the inmate] was talking about him or his mother.â
The inmate said this was the only time he witnessed Kohberger lose his temper.
A male individual told investigators he went upstairs and entered Xana Kernodleâs room, newly released documents revealed.
The door was left partially open and he saw Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
At first, he âdid not realize all the blood was dried blood in the room,â thinking âthey had been drunk and left a mess.â
But then, as he stood there, âhe began to realize what he was seeing.â
Two others, their names redacted, were present and âwere uncontrollably crying.â He told them to leave the house and call law enforcement.
The witness then told authorities that he âwent to the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the drawer,â then returned to Kernodleâs room to check the closet and make sure no one was inside.
He then checked both Xana and Ethan for a pulse, noting:
âBoth of the bodies had rigor mortis and were cold with no breath or pulse,â he said. âHe believed the two had been deceased for a while.â
A fellow inmate at a maximum security was heard discussing Bryan Kohberger while he was being transported to southern Idaho, according to documents released by police.
After mentioning that he was locked up with Kohberger, a female inmate asked the man, "how is he?"
"A f------ weirdo," the male inmate said.
He added that if he wasn't afraid of further legal repercussions, he would have assaulted Kohberger.
The inmate did not answer directly when he asked whether he thought Kohberger committed the murders, but said, "his eyes tell a story."
Newly released police documents have revealed the extent of the violence inflicted on 20-year-old Xana Kernodle.
According to newly released documents, investigators were briefed by a forensic pathologist at the Spokane County Medical Examinerâs Office following Kernodleâs autopsy on Nov. 16, 2022.
âKernodle had 50+ stab wounds, mostly defensive,â the report states.
Her fatal injuries were âfrom 1 laceration in her right lung and 2 lacerations in her heart.â The wounds showed signs of a sustained struggle, police said.
In an interview with police, Emily Alandt described conversations one of the surviving roommates following the murders.
She told authorities, that her friend and one of the roommates, Dylan Mortensen, explained she didnât call police that night because she was intoxicated and did not want to believe what was going on.
â[Redacted] also told [Alandt] the man was wearing a mask and could only see his eyes and nose,â police wrote.
Alandt also recalled seeing a knife at the top of the stairs, which she described as a steak knife.
She said she remained outside the home until officers arrived and later gave a formal statement at the Moscow Police Department.
Alandt said that there had been a large party at the house on November 11, and the home was still messy that weekend.
According to newly reviewed digital evidence, Bryan Kohberger used his phone to search for a police scanner in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, the night he killed four University of Idaho students.
Investigators found the search in Kohbergerâs Chrome history, showing he Googled: âBroadcastify.com/listen/feed, Pullman police and fire dispatch live audio feedâ at 12:26:49 a.m.
Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.
Newly released police reports reveal that investigators found footprints in the snow leading to and from the rear sliding glass door at 1122 King Road residence following the quadruple murders.
In addition to the footprints, they discovered small handprints on a nearby window, a damaged window screen lying on the ground, smudged fingerprints on the slider, and a discarded black backpack in the backyard.
A teaching assistant who worked alongside Bryan Kohberger at Washington State University told investigators he believed Kohberger âattempted to use his authority as a TA to inappropriately interact with female students,â new documents revealed.
The witness said Kohberger often talked about wanting a girlfriend and that they discussed this topic on âmany occasions.â
The same witness told investigators that he noticed injuries on Kohbergerâs face and hands on at least two separate occasions in October and November 2022, just weeks prior to the Idaho student homicides.
One injury was described as âa large scratch on Kohberger's faceâ that âlooked like the scratches from fingernails.â
The witness also said he saw wounds to Kohbergerâs knuckles and, when asked about them, Kohberger claimed heâd been in a car accident.
He also noted that Kohberger was âfrequently twenty minutes lateâ to their shared classes.
The TA described Kohberger as intelligent but âselfish,â and claimed he would mislead others about shared assignments and leave others to âcomplete work meant for Kohberger.â
He added that following the murders of the four students in Moscow that Kohberger started talking âmuch more than usual,â and his conversations felt like those âfrom someone who wanted to vent.â
On June 8, 2023, a Moscow Police officer accessed Bryan Kohbergerâs Hyundai Elantra âin order to photograph items in the trunk compartment.â
The items had been âidentified as being ordered via Amazon by the same account Kohberger used to purchase the Ka-Bar knife with sheath.â The sheath was found at the scene of the crime by authorities.
Three items matched those âordered from Amazon per the return obtained via subpoena.â
These included a bottle labeled âAmandean Vegan D3+K2 Dietary Supplementsâ, a âLEADBRAND Scissor Jack 1.5 Tons," and a red triangle kit labeled âCARTMAN Warning Triangle DOT Approved.â
âIt should be noted the jack came with a ratchet handle as well. This item was booked previously," he wrote.
All items were photographed and booked as evidence.
A report completed by an FBI geologist determined that soil found on a shovel recovered from Bryan Kohberger's white Elantra was consistent with soil found in the Moscow area.
"The report also stated the soil was likely not from anywhere east of Moscow," Moscow Police wrote of the report.
"This finding also excluded Pennsylvania as a likely source for the soil."
The report stated the soil from the shovel displayed characteristics of soil carried to the area via a water source, according to police.
The report also said the soil could have been recent or from any point in the areas geologic history.
The report, however, could not determine the exact area where the soil came from.
Officer found Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen side by side, newly released police documents revealed.
According to the report, both women were âcovered by a pink blanket which was covered in blood,â and âobviously deceased.â
Officer observations revealed âa large pool of blood near Kayleeâs midsectionâ and âblood cast-off on the east and north walls above Kaylee and Madison.â
Mogen appeared to have defensive injuries to her forearms and hands. Kaylee had suffered particularly devastating wounds: âa gash under her right eye which appeared to go from the corner of her eye to her nose.â
âKaylee was unrecognizable as her facial structure was extremely damaged,â the report said.
A dog belonging to Goncalves was also found in the room. Officers closed the bedroom door to prevent the dog from disturbing the scene and later transferred the animal to the local humane society.
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Newly released police reports lay bare the horrifying moments inside 1122 Kings Road during the murders of four University of Idaho students.
"It was obvious an intense struggled had occurred," police wrote.
Blood was smeared across furniture and the floor of Xana Kernodle's bedroom.
"There was blood cast-off on the walls in various places, including Xana's body," police wrote. "Xana's face and body was covered in dried blood."
Authorites said that they observed "what appeared to be defensive knife wounds on Xana's hands." They also noted a "deep gash" on her left side.
Upstairs, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were found side by side in bed, both with visible stab wounds.
Nearby, a tan leather knife sheath was left behind.
ï»żFox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Police on Wednesday released hundreds of documents detailing their investigation into the murders of four University of Idaho students.
The drop came just hours after Bryan Kohberger, 30, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Nov. 2022 slayings.
Following the conclusion of Bryan Kohbergerâs sentencing hearing on Wednesday, his mother, Maryann Kohberger, and one of his sisters were seen quietly exiting the Ada County Courthouse.
Maryann was seen with large black sunglasses and floral attire and his sister was seen with a rust-colored attire.
The two were the only family members present on Kohbergerâs side throughout the proceedings, which ended with the confessed killer receiving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years for burglary.
When asked directly during Wednesdayâs press conference whether investigators have uncovered a clear motive behind Bryan Kohbergerâs brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, the response was immediate: âWe donât.â
Despite nearly two years of investigation, including extensive forensic and digital analysis, authorities said they are still unable to explain why Kohberger carried out the November 2022 attack.
Following the emotional conclusion of Bryan Kohbergerâs sentencing hearing, Scott Laramie, stepfather of Madison âMaddieâ Mogen, alongside Maddieâs mother, Karen, said that they can now âmove onâ with their lives.
âKaren and I just left the sentencing where we gave our victim impact statement,â Laramie said. âJudge Hippler sentenced the defendant to the maximum allowable sentence under the plea agreement.â
While acknowledging the pain of not going through a trial, Laramie expressed that he was thankful for the plea deal due to the possibility that Kohberger might have avoided the death penalty or launched years of appeals.
âThe sentence will ensure that this evil will never again terrorize a family as he did ours and three others.â
âThis way, his fate is sealed, society is protected, and we can move on with our lives and attempt to recover,â he said.
He closed with a tribute to Maddie saying: âShe was our purpose and our hope. We remain lost without her, but we will find our way.â
Following an emotional day in court, Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, addressed reporters during a press conference outside the Ada County Courthouse.
âItâs been a long and emotional morning,â he said. âSo please show some grace to the families as they answer your questions.â
Reflecting on the nearly three-year journey since the 2022 murders, Goncalves said, âTodayâs the end of a long, hard-fought battle. But we have our person, and we have him where he belongs."
"We are thankful for all the men and women that put the work together, put this case together.â
Despite the relief of a sentencing, Goncalves remained firm in his view that justice was incomplete.
âIt wasnât justice. It was just a shortcut,â he said. âAnd we said from the very beginning, weâre not interested in a shortcut for our daughter.â
Voicing his frustration on Kohberger's plea deal, Goncalves said that they were "never given a fair chance at justice."
âThis isnât just about a prosecutorâs record,â he said. âItâs about Kaylee. Itâs about my daughter. Sheâs not just one of the Idaho Four.â
âShe was a daughter, a sister, a best friend, and the light in every room she walked into.â
As the sentencing hearing for Bryan Kohberger unfolded in court Wednesday, his mother, Maryann Kohberger, and one of his sisters sat quietly behind him.
They were the only family members present on Kohbergerâs side, alongside his two defense attorneys.
Unlike the emotionally charged presence of the victimsâ families, Kohbergerâs family remained quiet throughout the proceedings.
Judge Steven Hippler delivered a sweeping rebuke of Bryan Kohberger while formally sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
Judge Hippler praised the courage of the surviving roommates and the dignity shown by the victims' families.
âThey are and should be known as survivors, fighters, and foremost as witnesses to the tremendous lives of value and unbounded promise of these four young people,â he said.
He acknowledged that Kohbergerâs motive for the slayings remains unknown, but warned against giving the 30-year-old convicted killer more power by endlessly seeking an explanation.
âThe more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more power and control we give to him,â Hippler said. âIn my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohbergerâs 15 minutes of fame.â
Judge Hippler firmly rejected Kohbergerâs future bid for fame through books, media or television.
âThere should be no need for that to spill over into the public eye,â he said.
Referencing a former Idaho judge, known for finding at least one positive thing to say about those he sentence, Hippler said that he was unable to find a positive attribute for Kohberger.
âTruth be told, Iâm unable to come up with anything redeeming about Mr. Kohberger,â Hippler said. âHis grotesque acts of evil have buried and hidden anything that might have been good or intrinsically human about him.â
With that, he sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive life terms without parole, plus ten years for burglary and $290,000 in financial penalties to the victimsâ families.
âHe is forever removed from civilized society,â the judge concluded.
During a press briefing Wednesday following the sentencing of Bryan Kohberger, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that if it were up to President Trump, he would have "forced this monster" to explain himself.
"We are so sorry for the grief and the pain that you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer. Our nation grieves with you and we will never forget the precious souls who were lost in this horrific act of evil," she said."If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls," she said.
"May God bless everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy. Especially the parents who lost their children."
As the sentencing hearing for Bryan Kohberger continued, the defense announced it would not present any evidence, choosing not to call witnesses or offer statements on Kohbergerâs behalf.
When the judge turned to Kohberger and asked if he wished to address the court, he responded simply: âI respectfully decline.â
Randy Davis, the stepfather to Xana Kernodle, took the podium and told Bryan Kohberger to âgo to he--.â
âThis is probably the last time we're all going to be in the same room together, and thatâs real,â he said, turning to the other families. âSo I can say, I love you all, and I feel your pain. God bless us all.â
Davis shared a memory of Xanaâs humor, recalling how she and her sister once dressed up their younger brother in makeup and a dress.
âShe was funny,â he said, eliciting laughter in the courtroom.
âI told her sheâd be in the movies or be someone great one day. And now she is, just above us, as an angel.â
Looking directly at Kohberger, he said: âI want to just be out in the woods with you for five minutes⊠just so I can teach you about loss and pain,â he said. âI love God, I wouldnât take your life, thatâs up to Him. But I guarantee you, you are weak. Go to he--.â
Kim Kernodle, aunt of Xana Kernodle, stood before Bryan Kohberger and offered something no one else had: forgiveness.
âIâm always looking for the positive thing because evil and hate can destroy people,â she said. âAnd thatâs what it started doing to our family.â
Kim reflected on the anger and division that followed Xanaâs murder, but said that she has chosen a different path.
âXana was everything the media and her friends said. She was that fun-loving, high-spirited, beautiful person,â Kernodle said. âI no longer get to get my nails done with her or have lunch with her.â
âWeâre stronger than ever. We have family and friends now that we never knew we had.â
Then, turning directly to Kohberger, Kim offered her forgiveness to her nieceâs killer.
âBryan, Iâm here today to tell you I have forgiven you because I no longer could live with that hate in my heart,â she said. âFor me to become a better person, I have forgiven you.â
She also extended her willingness to talk to him.
âAny time you want to talk and tell me what happened, you have my number. And Iâm here.â
After a brief courtroom recess during Wednesdayâs sentencing hearing, Bryan Kohberger returned to his seat.
Kohberger, clad in his orange jail jumpsuit and still shackled, flashed a big smile as he returned to the Ada County courtroom Wednesday.
He has remained mostly expressionless throughout the proceedings while victimsâ families fought through tears and delivered searing testimony.
Ben Mogen, father of Madison âMaddieâ Mogen, described his daughter as the meaning of his life.
âMaddie was my only child that I ever had,â he said. âSheâs the only great thing I ever really did. The only thing I was ever really proud of.â
Mogen reflected on how he believed he and Maddie had a lifetime ahead to grow closer as adults. He recalled some of their happiest memories together, including the time he scored last minute meet-and-greet tickets for Maddie and her friends to see Mac Miller, one of her favorite artists.
âThat was one of my favorite memories,â he said. âMy cousin Zach drove us and heâs gone now too.â
Mogen also read the final Fatherâs Day card Maddie ever gave him.
âShe did encourage me, not just to do my best, but to live on,â he said, revealing that Maddieâs presence helped him through his own battles with addiction.
âWhen I wasnât wanting to live anymore, she kept me alive.â
Following a series of emotional victim impact statements, Bryan Kohberger was briefly escorted out of the courtroom Wednesday morning for a scheduled break in proceedings.
Clad in an orange jumpsuit, Kohberger was seen walking with ankle chains.
Alivea Stevenson, the older sister to Kaylee Goncalves and a beloved âsister figureâ to Madison Mogen, delivered brutal personal attacks against Bryan Kohberger in her searing victim impact statement.
She began by reminding the courtroom, and Kohberger, that her sister and Maddie were not his to take.
âThey were not yours to study, to stalk or to silence,â she said. âThey are everything that you could never beâloved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful.â
âIn a world that rejected you, they would have shown mercy,â she said.
Stevenson turned her grief into defiance, saying that she wonât offer the 30-year-old killer her tears nor her trembling.
âI wonât feed the beast,â she said.
Instead, she unleashed a series of unrelenting questions to Kohberger. She demanded details about the murder, his preparations, and his motive.
âWhat were Kayleeâs last words?â she asked. âDo you feel anything at allâor are you exactly what you always feared? Nothing.â
âYou didnât create devastation. You revealed it, and itâs in yourself,â she said. âThat darkness you carry, that emptiness, youâll sit with it long after this is over. That is your sentence.â
In a blistering takedown, Stevenson said; âYouâre a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else.â
âAll of that effort just to seem important,â she said.
Stevenson called Kohberger a textbook case of âinsecurity disguised as control.â
She slammed his inflated sense of intellect and elitism, mocking his belief in online IQ scores.
âYour motives are shallow. You are not profound. You're pathetic,â she said. âNo one is scared of you today. No one is impressed. No one thinks that you are important.â
Stevensonâs statement ended with a brief round of applause from the courtroom.
âIf you hadnât attacked them in their sleep in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f---ing a--.â
Steve Goncalves, the father of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, unleashed an impassioned victim impact statement Wednesday morning.
Addressing Bryan Kohberger directly, Goncalves declared: âToday, we are here to finish what you started. Today, youâve lost control. Today, we are here to prove to the world that you picked the wrong families.â
His voice rising, Goncalves told Kohberger he had chosen the wrong town, the wrong police officers, and the wrong community.
âYou tried to break our community apart. You tried to plant fear. You tried to divide us. You failed,â he said. âInstead, your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you.â
He described how quickly their family and law enforcement rallied to identify Kohberger, recounting how they gathered camera footage and helped spot the white Hyundai Elantra within hours.
âYou were that careless, that foolish, that stupid. Masterâs degreeâyouâre a joke. Complete joke.â
Goncalves said that Kohberger no longer even deserved to be named.
âToday you have no name. We all came together and said, letâs stop even talking about his name. Just use initials. So even the media just called you BK. Thatâs all you are.âGoncalves said that they are "laughing at you and your trip to the penitentiary."
"In this moment, we will forget you. We want to. I'll leave in closing. One last thing. You picked the wrong family and we're laughing at you and your trip to the pen [penitentiary].
Known lovingly by Madison "Maddie" Mogen as âDeetle Beetle,â Kim Cheeley opened her remarks with a touching story about how her granddaughter gave her that special nickname as a toddler.
"I became Deetle Beetle, shortened to Deetle when she was about 6 or 7, and I was Deetle all her life.â
Cheeley spoke warmly of the tight relationship she shared with Maddie and how Maddie once gifted her a necklace engraved with âDeetle and Maddie,â now worn daily with an added angel wing.
âItâs one of my treasured possessions,â she said, revealing that she even got a matching angel wing tattoo, a first for her.
She reminisced about their cherished Wednesday rituals from Maddieâs childhood.
âFrom preschool through grade school, I stopped teaching piano lessons early on Wednesdays and picked Maddie up for bubble baths, brownies, and books,â she said. âIt was our special time together.â
Cheeley shared that the grief on her family was "debilitating."
"When the four kids were murdered, the foundation fell out of our world. Initially, the fear was truly debilitating," she said. "The first six weeks were excruciating. Despite the vigils, memorials, candlelight, gatherings of students, friends, family, community members. After the arrest in the past two and a half years, my family has lived with grief, with the effects of traumatic grief, of which I was blissfully unaware before all of this."
"We Mogen's are choosing to put our energy and focus into honoring Maddie's too short life and sweet spirit by celebrating Maddie May Day, which my two daughters establish on May 25th each year, Maddie's birthday," she said. "We encourage folks to do random acts of kindness in Maddie's name. In my daughter Katie's words, 'May we all protect our peace in whatever way possible. Unite in community and focus on joy.'"
As emotional victim impact statements echoed through the Ada County Courthouse Wednesday, Bryan Kohberger sat motionless, offering little visible reaction.
At one point, Kohberger took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and his expression changed slightly, but he remained dry-eyed as loved ones of the victims expressed their grief.
Around him, the courtroom atmosphere was heavy. Reporters, members of the public and court staff could be seen wiping away tears.
Scott Laramie, Madison Mogen's stepfather, said he had no words for Bryan Kohberger.
"As for the defendant, will not waste words... nor will we fall into hatred and bitterness. Evil has many faces, and we now know this. But evil does not deserve our time and attention."
He also declared that they are done being victims.
"We are taking back our lives. We will turn our time, talents and attention to hope, healing and helping others and to the future," Laramie said. "We invite all those who have suffered with us to join us in our journey. We can make this world a better place. We can move on from tragedy. Adversity will visit us. Evil will visit us. But we will overcome. We can and will endure."
He delivered the statement on behalf of himself and Maddieâs mother, Karen Laramie.
Dylan Mortensen, one of the two surviving roommates, delivered a powerful victim impact statement through tears, saying it was the "night that changed everything."
Speaking for the first time in court, Mortensen described the deep and lasting wounds left by the November 2022 murders of her four close friends: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
âWhat happened that night changed everything,â she said. âHe didnât just take their lives. He took the light. They carried it into every room.â Mortensen spoke through tears as she recounted her friends.
âHe took away birthdays, graduations, celebrations. And all the memories that we were supposed to make. All of it is gone. And all the people who love them are just left to carry that weight forever.â
She also opened up about her trauma and fear in the aftermath of the crime.
âWhat he did shattered me in places I didnât know could break. I was barely 19 when he did this," she said. "I should have been figuring out who I was. Instead, I was forced to learn how to survive the unimaginable.â
Mortensen described sleeping in her motherâs bed out of fear, planning escape routes everywhere she went, and suffering from sudden panic attacks.
As family members and friends of the victims poured their hearts out in the courtroom, convicted killer Bryan Kohberger remained stone-faced, showing no visible emotion.
He is seated across from the victims in a prison-issued orange jumpsuit.
Bethany Funke, one of the two surviving roommates, submitted an emotional victim impact statement in court.
With emotion in her voice, Emily Alandt, Funkeâs friend delivered the statement, recounting the trauma her friend has carried since the murders of her closest friends: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
âI was roommates with Maddie, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan. I not only lost some of my best friends, but I also lost a sister,â Alandt said on behalf of Funke. âNever in a million years would I have thought that something like this would have happened to my closest friends.â
She described waking up that morning with a toothache and calling her father.
âHe told me to take Advil, so I did and I went back to sleep,â she said. âI still carry so much regret and guilt for not knowing what had happened and not calling right away. Even though I understand it wouldn't have changed anything, not even if the paramedics had been right outside the door.â
Funke also spoke about the wave of harassment she and her family endured in the days and weeks that followed.
âI was getting flooded with death threats and hateful messages from people who did not know me at all or know the dynamic of our friendship. Social media made it so much worse and strangers made up stories to entertain themselves.â
âI hated and still hate that they are gone, but for some reason I am still here and I got to live. I still think about this every day. Why me?â
Bryan Kohberger appeared in an orange jail-issued jumpsuit Wednesday morning as his sentencing got underway at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho.
The 30-year-old sat quietly as proceedings began, flanked by his attorneys, with victimsâ families gathered to deliver emotional impact statements.
The family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four University of Idaho students brutally murdered in 2022, arrived at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise on Wednesday.
Steve and Kristi Goncalves, Kayleeâs parents, entered the courtroom holding hands.
The family has been among the most vocal advocates for justice throughout the investigation and court proceedings.
Anne Taylor, Bryan Kohberger's attorney, arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise Wednesday.
Taylor was seen in a black skirt and a maroon jacket entering the courthouse.
The family of Madison Mogen, one of the four University of Idaho students murdered in a brutal 2022 stabbing, arrived at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise Wednesday.
Madison âMaddieâ Mogen was a 21-year-old student at the University of Idaho studying marketing.
Mogen was known for her vibrant personality and her lifelong bond with fellow victim Kaylee Goncalves, who was also her roommate and best friend since childhood.
As Bryan Kohberger faces sentencing for the brutal 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, key pieces of forensic and digital evidence detailed by prosecutors shed light on how authorities built their case.
At the center was a leather knife sheath discovered beneath victim Madison Mogenâs body. DNA recovered from the sheath was matched first through a familial DNA search using a sample from Kohbergerâs fatherâs trash and later confirmed via cheek swab following his Pennsylvania arrest.
In addition to the DNA evidence, surveillance footage played a major role.
A white Hyundai Elantra, matching Kohbergerâs vehicle, was caught on camera circling the King Road residence in Moscow, multiple times in the early morning hours of the attack.
Cellphone data revealed even more: his device had pinged near the victimsâ home a dozen times in the weeks before the murders.
A probable cause affidavit said that Kohbergerâs AT&T cell phone was turned off during the estimated window of the killings. Authorities said it was turned back on just after the time of the murders, and it later pinged near the scene again.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano Jr. and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Xana Kernodleâs cousin implored people to âremember the names of the victims, not the name of the monster who took them.â
âToday will bring a lot of emotions,â Sheldon Kernodle Wednesday. âBy honoring their lives instead of giving attention to the one who caused so much pain, we keep their memories alive.â
âPlease never forget their names: Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves,â he wrote. âRemember them. Forget him.â
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Media crews lined up overnight outside the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, for a front-row seat to Bryan Kohbergerâs highly anticipated sentencing.
With just 50 seats reserved for press inside the courtroom, reporters gathered early Wednesday morning to secure their spot.
The sentencing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EST (9 a.m. local time), marking the final chapter in the case.
Prosecutors have asked a Boise judge to extend the order barring Bryan Kohberger from contacting his victims' families for another 99 years following his guilty plea in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students.
"This Motion is based on the fact that Defendant has now entered guilty pleas to all offenses charged in the Indictment and will be sentenced on July 23, 2025," Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson wrote in a motion made public Tuesday.
"The current No Contact Orders expire on January 5, 2027, and the State respectfully requests that they be extended for an additional ninety-nine (99) years."
The family of Ethan Chapin, one of the four University of Idaho students murdered in 2022, has confirmed they will not attend Bryan Kohbergerâs sentencing today in Boise.
âThe days do get better,â Stacy Chapin, speaking alongside her husband, Jim, told .
âIf I could physically do a handstand, Iâd probably do one, because I am so ready,â Jim Chapin said. âIâm ready for my kids to move on. Iâm ready for us to move on. I mean, itâs been almost 2œ years, and itâs, just, itâs over.â
The Chapins said the plea agreement saved their surviving children, Maizie and Hunter, Ethanâs triplet siblings, from possibly having to testify at trial.
âOur first, our initial response was like, the eye, an eye for an eye,â Stacy said. âBut this was a better deal.â
As Bryan Kohberger prepares to be formally sentenced Tuesday for the murders of four University of Idaho students, a legal expert condemned his previously proposed defense strategy as "depraved."
Fox News contributor Donna Rotunna to Fox and Friendsâ co-host Lawrence Jones that âthis is the day for the families.â
âThis is the day they get to use their voices to tell us about the pain and the suffering. We will hear about graduations they wonât attend. Weddings they wonât witness⊠grandchildren that will not be born,â she said.
âThese lives were lost much too soon, and the pain will reverberate in their lives for as long as they are on this Earth.â
Jones pointed to a report highlighting that, prior to accepting a plea deal, Kohbergerâs legal team had considered pursuing an alternative perpetrator theory that would have implicated other students.
Kohbergerâs lead attorney, Anne Taylor, attempted to advance that defense, but the judge ultimately rejected it.
Rotunno criticized the tactic as legally and ethically flawed:
âTo try to frame any person that they don't have any real evidence of committing crimes or no nexus to their actions in crimes. I mean, obviously, anybody on Earth has contact with other people in our world of social media, in the world of apps, and the world of Snapchat. They were college students. They probably had thousands of followers, people that knew them, people that lived close to them. This was a close knit community of students,â she said.
âAnd so the fact that you would try to, you know, essentially throw other people under the bus when there's no evidence to suggest that they were involved in this is definitely depraved.â
It's judgment day for Bryan Kohberger, the former aspiring criminologist who killed four University of Idaho students in a 4 a.m. home invasion ambush in November 2022.
The 30-year-old was studying for a Ph.D. at Washington State University in Pullman when he drove about 10 miles to the off-campus rental house at 1122 King Road, just across the state line, in Moscow, Idaho.
At a change of plea hearing July 2, he admitted to killing four young people inside: Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. But he did not give a motive or explain anything other than admit his guilt.
Mogen and Goncalves, who were best friends, were killed in a third-floor bedroom. Kohberger's key mistake â the only publicly known physical evidence tying him to the crimes â was a Ka-Bar knife sheath he left under Mogen's body. Police found his DNA on the snap.
On the second floor, Kernodle was awake, having received a DoorDash delivery minutes earlier. Kohberger killed her, then turned his knife on her sleeping boyfriend, Chapin, who was spending the night.
A surviving roommate told police she heard crying and a man's voice say something to the effect of, "It's OK. I'm going to help." Then she saw a masked man with "bushy eyebrows" leave out the back door. For whatever reason, he didn't attack her.
The victims' families have been split over the plea deal, which required Kohberger to waive his right to appeal and to forfeit his right to seek a sentence reduction under Idaho law.
Read the full report by Fox News Digitalâs Michael Ruiz here.
As Bryan Kohberger prepares to face sentencing for the murders of four University of Idaho students, the courtroom is expected to hear emotional impact statements from the families of the victims.
Today, family members of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin will have the opportunity to deliver victim impact statements, giving voice to the lasting trauma left in the wake of the November 2022 killings.
While Kohberger has accepted a plea deal, avoiding the death penalty in exchange for life in prison without parole, the sentencing hearing provides a final public forum for the families.
As the Idaho murder case against Bryan Kohberger nears its final chapter, one pressing question lingers: will the convicted killer finally reveal his motive?
By accepting a plea deal, Kohberger avoided a lengthy trial in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole, effectively removing the death penalty from the table.
While the plea secured a swift resolution, it left one glaring omission: no official explanation for the motive behind the brutal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
James Patterson, the bestselling author with over 260 New York Times titles and 10 Emmy Awards, teamed up with investigative journalist Vicky Ward to write The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy, in which the pair explore Kohbergerâs possible motivation.
Kohberger may have been inspired by one killer â Elliot Rodger. The 22-year-old was obsessed with exacting "retribution" after experiencing what he claimed was a lifetime of social and sexual isolation, The Associated Press .
In 2014, Rodger killed six people in a stabbing and shooting spree in Isla Vista, California, before turning the gun on himself.
"No one knows that, like Rodger, Bryan is a virgin who hates women," the book claimed. "No one knows that Bryan copes with loneliness by immersing himself in video games. Like Rodger, he goes for night drives. Like Rodger, he visits the gun range. And, like Rodger, he goes to a local bar and tries to pick up women."
"Elliot Rodger wrote that he kept trying to place himself in settings where he could pick up women," the book continued. "But no one noticed him. Bryan must think that surely heâll be noticed. Women must spot his looks, his intelligence, and they must want him. They donât."
Patterson pointed out that at the Seven Sirens Brewing Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Kohberger would push his way into unwanted conversations with female bartenders and patrons. He went as far as asking for their addresses. Some women, according to the book, started complaining to the breweryâs owner about "the creepy guy with the bulging eyes."
Kohberger was adamant that women would notice him. But Patterson noted that to many, he was simply "off-putting."
"He made people uncomfortable," said Patterson. "The bartenders and owners remembered him as being this weird duck who would sit at a bar and just weird everybody out and talk inappropriately. He had a lot of trouble socializing."
According to the book, Kohberger felt that by going to Moscow, Idaho, across the state border, he could find a girl willing to date him. He read about a place online called the Mad Greek where they sell vegan pizza â heâs vegan. When he walked inside, he noticed a blonde waitress â "Maddie" Mogen.
Itâs been speculated by sources who spoke to Patterson that Mogen rejected Kohberger.
The book pointed out an eerie similarity.
"Elliot Rodger wrote of reuniting with a childhood friend named Maddy in the months before the day of retribution," read the book.
"She was a popular, spoiled USC girl who partied with her hot, popular blonde-haired clique of friends," Rodger wrote, as quoted by the book. "My hatred for them all grew from each picture I saw of her profile. They were the kind of beautiful, popular people who lived pleasurable lives and would look down on me as inferior scum, never accepting me as one of them. They were my enemies. They represented everything that was wrong with this world."
Read the full report by Fox News Digitalâs Stephanie Nolasco here.
President Donald Trump waded into the "vicious" Idaho student murders case Monday with a post on Truth Social about Bryan Kohberger's upcoming sentencing, saying he hopes the judge requires some kind of explanation at Wednesday's hearing for the slayings of "four wonderful young souls."
When Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month, he gave no motive or explanation while admitting to the home invasion stabbing deaths of four college students.
"While Life Imprisonment is tough, it's certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders," Trump wrote. "There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING."
Read the full report by Fox News Digitalâs Michael Ruiz here.
Fox News Digital will stream live coverage of Bryan Kohbergerâs sentencing hearing Wednesday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, following his conviction under a plea deal in the brutal 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger stood silent during his initial arraignment, prompting the judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. However, in a dramatic shift earlier this month, he accepted a plea deal that secured a conviction and spared him the death penalty.
He is expected to receive four consecutive terms of life imprisonment with no chance of parole, plus another 10 years, and has waived his right to appeal and to seek a sentence reduction.
Live Coverage begins here