() Bryan Kohberger admitted guilt during a Wednesday hearing to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.

The hastened hearing took place just weeks before Kohberger was set to go to trial after news broke earlier in the week that he had accepted a plea deal that would take the death penalty off the table.

Judge Steven Hippler set the sentencing hearing for July 23 and the victims’ families will be given an opportunity to address Kohberger and the court before the sentence is handed down. Without a trial, the families of the victims may never get an answer to the question of why Kohberger committed the crime.

The families of victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin are divided on the plea. The Goncalves family has criticized the deal, calling it hurried and secretive.

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