In the early hours of November 13, 2022, four students from the University of Idaho were brutally stabbed to death inside an off-campus house at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho. On December 30, Bryan Christopher Kohberger was taken into custody in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, facing four counts of first-degree murder and one charge of felony burglary.

Autopsies conducted in Spokane, Washington, confirmed that each victim had been stabbed multiple times, suffering fatal wounds primarily to the chest and upper body. The Latah County coroner noted that a large knife — or multiple similar knives — had likely been used. Evidence suggested that at least one victim, and possibly more, tried to defend themselves, as indicated by defensive wounds on their hands. Investigators believe the victims were likely attacked while sleeping, and none of the autopsies found signs of sexual assault. All four deaths were ruled homicides caused by stabbing.

A white Hyundai Elantra spotted on surveillance near the crime scene matched Kohberger’s car. Cell phone data placed the 30-year-old suspect near the residence at the time of the killings and indicated he had driven by the house several times before and after the attack.

One of the most critical pieces of evidence was a knife sheath left at the scene, which contained DNA that matched a sample recovered from trash at Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania, where authorities eventually arrested him during his holiday visit.

On September 9, 2024, a judge approved a defense request to move the trial to Boise, with Judge Steven Hippler assigned to oversee the proceedings. Kohberger was transferred to Boise on September 15 and held at the Ada County Jail. Judge Hippler provisionally set jury selection for August 4, 2025, with the trial expected to begin on August 18.

On June 30, 2025, it was announced that Kohberger had reached an agreement to plead guilty to all charges, sparing him the death penalty in exchange for four consecutive life sentences without parole. As part of the deal — pending the judge’s approval — Kohberger would also waive his right to appeal, ensuring he remains behind bars for life. He formally pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, and on July 23, 2025, he was sentenced to four consecutive life terms plus an additional 10 years for burglary. He was also ordered to pay a total fine of $250,000 ($50,000 for each murder) and $20,000 in restitution ($5,000 for each victim).

The Four University of Idaho students murdered:

• Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington;
• Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho;
• Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona (she later lived in Post Falls, Idaho);
• Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Chapin was a sophomore majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism management. Kernodle, a junior, studied marketing, while Goncalves and Mogen, both seniors, were pursuing degrees in general studies and marketing, respectively. Chapin belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity, Goncalves was part of the Alpha Phi sorority, and both Mogen and Kernodle were members of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Who Is Bryan  Kohberger?

Image source, Kyle Green/Pool via REUTERS

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 30, was born on November 21, 1994. After graduating from Pleasant Valley High School in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania, in 2013, he briefly attended Monroe Career and Technical Institute in Bartonsville before dropping out a year later. In 2015, he took a job as a security officer for the Pleasant Valley School District. Kohberger later enrolled at Northampton Community College in Tannersville, where he earned an associate degree in psychology in 2018. He went on to complete undergraduate degrees in psychology and cloud-based forensics, and in 2022, he received a master’s degree in criminal justice from DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.

During the summer of 2022, Kohberger relocated to Washington to begin a PhD program in criminology at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, which is situated less than eight miles (13 km) from Moscow. At the time of the murders, he was in his first year of the program and had just finished his first semester nine days before his arrest. He also worked as a teaching assistant at WSU, but concerns about his conduct — particularly his interactions with women — prompted faculty to meet with him weeks before the murders. On December 19, Kohberger was dismissed from his teaching assistant position due to concerns about his behavior and overall performance.

Kohberger has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder. He has shared online that he struggles with mental health issues, including tinnitus and visual snow syndrome.