On Wednesday, Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to killing four University of Idaho students in 2022.

To avoid the death penalty, Kohberger, 30, admitted to fatally stabbing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, at the women’s off-campus home. The plea deal means Kohberger will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. He also waived his right to appeal.

Kohberger also pleaded guilty to burglary, which is a 10-year sentence.

Kohberger’s trial was set to begin on August 11, despite motions from his lawyers seeking additional time to prepare due to the breadth of evidence in this case. They also claimed that information about the high-profile case was leaked on an episode of “Dateline.” The “Dateline” episode, which aired in May, reportedly showed a car circling the same block as the off-campus Moscow home during the early hours of November 13, 2022. The same car was reportedly seen approaching the residence and speeding away 13 minutes later.

The source of that leak remains undisclosed.

Before Wednesday’s plea, Kohberger’s attorneys claimed he was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone the night the four students were fatally stabbed. Late last month, Judge Steven Hippler rejected the defense’s list of four “alternative perpetrators” whose names have not been released to the public.

Police claimed Kohberger visited the area 12 times before the slayings and that he turned off his phone on the night in question. Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath located near Mogen and Goncalves’ bodies, according to prosecutors. The murder weapon has not been found.

Meanwhile, defense attorneys accused prosecutors of withholding evidence about unidentified DNA samples — including DNA on a glove outside the home which also remains unidentified.

Investigators tested DNA from a trash can outside Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania against DNA found on the sheath at the crime scene. Testing determined that “at least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”

At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was working on his Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University, which is located 10 miles from the crime scene. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022, after taking a cross-country road trip with his father from Washington to Pennsylvania for the holidays.

In September, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Boise, in Ada County. The trial’s venue was changed after the state supreme court upheld a ruling identifying publicity and media attention concerns that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Further, the courts noted that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.

The trial was expected to last three months.

This story is developing…

[Feature Photo: Monroe County PD/Bryan Kohberger ]