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The murder trial of Bryan Kohberger will likely be averted now that the accused quadruple killer appears to have accepted a plea deal.
On Monday, June 29, 2025, victims’ loved ones reported that Latah County prosecutors in Idaho told them Kohberger, 30, plans to plead guilty to the vicious November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, as first reported by NewsNation. The relatives of victims Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 21, continue to voice their outrage, stating on social media that they were blindsided by the decision, which is expected to go into effect Wednesday during a formal court hearing.
As part of the purported plea, Kohberger will spend the rest of his life in prison, thus avoiding the death penalty. Additionally, it waives his right to appeal his conviction and ensures he is never paroled.
Prosecutors have not confirmed the plea deal.
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
Kohberger is the sole suspect in the fatal November 13, 2022 stabbings of the aforementioned victims. A former Washington State University grad student and teacher’s aide who’d majored in criminology and criminal justice, he is accused of wearing a mask and entering the victims’ off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, knifing the unsuspecting students as they slept for reasons that remain unknown.
DNA later connected Kohberger to the crimes, prompting a cross-country pursuit and an arrest in his native Pennsylvania.
Court proceedings stretched, and motions steadily poured in, all pointing to a highly anticipated trial in August. Arguments over the death penalty, his digital background, claims of planted evidence, and a documented autism diagnosis by the defense were just part of the lead-up to the trial.
Jury selection was due to begin on August 4, 2025, according to ABC Boise affiliate KIVI-TV.
Prosecutors informed the families via email
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and his senior deputy, Ashley Jennings, signed the email sent to family members, according to The Idaho Statesman.
“We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” the email stated. “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 the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals.”
The victims’ families speak out
The family of Kaylee Goncalves posted their outrage on Facebook, stating they were “beyond furious” by the “unexpected” news of the plea deal.
In another post on Facebook, they stated a possible plea deal had been discussed in passing during a Friday conversation with prosecutors, but it was a “hard no” for them.
“It was very nonchalant and barely discussed as the majority of the conversation was surrounding the upcoming trial,” they stated, in part. “NOTHING in our conversation prepared us for the next steps. Sunday night, we received an email that sent us scrambling. We immediately jumped into panic mode and started making phone calls and sending emails.”
They later stated, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, that “The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office’s treatment of our family during this process is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
Others, like Madison Mogen’s father, told CBS News he looked forward to putting it all behind him while describing Kohberger as a “terrible person.”
“We get to just think about the rest of our lives and have to try and figure out how to do it without Maddie and without the rest of the kids,” said Ben Mogen.
Xana Kernodle’s aunt, Kim Kernodle, said she rebuked the prosecution’s reported claims of wanting to spare those in court the vicious details of the crimes, according to TMZ.
“We know the graphics,” she said. “They were not trying to spare us.”
If all goes according to the purported deal, Kohberger will formally change his plea from ‘not guilty’ to ‘guilty’ for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. A formal hearing is scheduled on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
It remains unclear whether Kohberger will have to confess the crimes in court, which could have provided a motive in the slayings.
