BOISE, Idaho – It’s judgment day for Bryan Kohberger, the former aspiring criminologist who killed four University of Idaho students in a 4 a.m. home invasion ambush in November 2022.

The 30-year-old was studying for a Ph.D. at Washington State University in Pullman when he drove about 10 miles to the off-campus rental house at 1122 King Road, just across the state line, in Moscow, Idaho.

At a change of plea hearing July 2, he admitted to killing four young people inside: Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. But he did not give a motive or explain anything other than admit his guilt.

Their families are expected to address him directly in court today with victim impact statements in a sentencing hearing expected to take all day.

Bryan Kohberger, charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students, appears at the Ada County Courthouse July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. He pleaded guilty to the killings. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

Chapin’s parents and the mothers of Kernodle and Mogen have all voiced support for the plea deal, which will spare them from years of appeals and the trauma of a trial. 

In exchange for his guilty plea, Kohberger avoids the death penalty and is expected to receive the maximum punishment of four consecutive life prison sentences with no possibility of parole, plus another 10 years.

His sentencing begins Wednesday at 9 a.m. Mountain Time, 11 a.m. Eastern.