() Idaho college killing suspect Bryan Kohberger is set to accept a plea deal on Wednesday, when a judge will hear the agreement.

Judge Steven Hippler will decide whether to accept the plea agreement, which removes the death penalty in exchange for Kohberger changing his plea to guilty.

Without a hearing, it’s possible the families of the victims will never get an answer to the question of why Kohberger committed the crime.

Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in an off-campus house in 2022. Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death after spending a Saturday night out.

Two other roommates in the house were not harmed, and one said she heard strange noises around 4 a.m. and saw a masked man in the house.

Police arrested Kohberger at the end of December at his family’s home in Pennsylvania. Kohberger was studying for a graduate degree in criminology at Washington State University, the campus not far from Moscow, Idaho.

Evidence used to identify Kohberger as a suspect included surveillance video showing what appeared to be his car, cellphone data and DNA.

Kohberger initially pleaded not guilty to the crime. His team argued for the case to be transferred from Latah County, where the crime occurred, to Boise, Idaho, saying it would be impossible to find a fair jury in the smaller town.

In pretrial hearings, Kohberger’s team argued for having evidence thrown out, including genetic genealogy techniques used to identify him. They also attempted to have the case dismissed.

Last week, Hippler ruled against an effort by the defense to introduce alternative suspects as part of the defense strategy.

Kohberger’s plea deal is expected to include a guilty plea to all four killings with sentences for life without parole in exchange for prosecutors dropping the death penalty.

The families of victims are divided on the plea, with the Goncalves family criticizing the deal, which they called hurried and secretive.