Bryan Kohberger confesses to Idaho student murders
Bryan Kohberger is expected to take a plea deal in the alleged murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were University of Idaho students
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Victim's family knew 'something terrible' happened before police notification: author
Vicky Ward, who embedded with the families for her upcoming book with James Patterson, The Idaho Four, shared with Fox News Digital new insight into Kaylee Goncalves’ family and their experience in the aftermath of the murders.
“The Goncalves family were left sitting in their living room for hours, knowing that something terrible had happened to Kaylee because they could see the police tape around the King Road house on videos from their daughter’s friends. When the knock on the door came, they learned the bare minimal: that Kaylee – and Maddie were dead,” Ward reported.
“Alivea, Robbie and their kids drove through the night from California. Alivea doing everything in her power to track down Kaylee’s last calls, msgs [sic], movements…and when she walked in the door, her parents didn’t yet have a point person at Moscow PD…. So, it was a tense relationship from the get-go.”
Ward noted that Ethan Chapin’s family had a markedly different experience with law enforcement.
“Their reaction to the news was much more kinetic,” she wrote. “Once they got a call from their son, Hunter, they drove 9 hours to Moscow to get Hunter and Maizie and after meeting Chief [James] Fry and others at the station they went to the Best Western which is where Emily Alandt, Hunter Johnson and the surviving roommates were. Stacy immediately went into mother-hen mode, focusing on protecting the living as best she could. Very admirable.”
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report
'Slap in the face': Former detective criticizes lack of Kohberger confession in court
Following the Bryan Kohberger hearing, Fox News contributor and former Washington D.C. homicide detective Ted Williams expressed dismay over what he sees as a judicial misstep and lack of accountability.
Williams lamented the court’s failure to require Kohberger to explain why he murdered four University of Idaho students.
“I am shocked that this judge did not have Kohberger explain to the court why he committed these offenses,” Williams said. “Not doing so is a slap in the face of the parents, relatives and state of Idaho.”
According to Williams, Kohberger’s silence will leave the parents of the four victims and the state of Idaho wondering what led to the murders.
He pointed to electronic evidence including cell phone data indicating that Kohberger returned to the scene after the killings.
“This is in my opinion the actions of a cold-blooded killer who has no socially redeeming qualities that should permit him to ever leave his place of incarceration,” he said.
Despite the plea potentially sparing the public a lengthy and emotional trial, Williams said that he believes Kohberger is “getting off,” unlike the 4 students he murdered.
“While I feel that this plea by Kohberger is the final chapter in the sad murders of these promising students, I can’t help but feel Kohberger is getting off because his life is spared, unlike the lives of the four students he killed,” he said.
“As I listen to Kohberger plead guilty to killing the four college students, I am left to wonder how and why did he take the lives of these students? What happened in his life that left him so heartless?”
Goncalves family seen entering court prior to hearing Bryan Kohberger accept plea deal
The Goncalves family was seen entering the Ada County Courthouse on Wednesday morning prior to hearing Bryan Kohberger accept a plea deal for the murder of four University of Idaho students.
Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were killed by Bryan Kohberger on Nov. 13, 2022.
Steve Goncalves said prior to the hearing that Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson should've taken the case to trial.
"We could take it out of freaking Thompson's hands. One man shouldn't decide what four souls are worth," Goncalves said.
Family of Madison Mogen vows to 'embark on a new path' following Bryan Kohberger's guilty plea
Speaking on behalf of the family of Madison Mogen, attorney Leander James issued a heartfelt statement on the steps of the Ada County Courthouse just moments after Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho Students.
“For all parents who have endured the loss of a child, we know recovery is a long – and at times – almost unbearable journey,” James said as he read from a pre-written statement. “But you are not alone, and there is hope and there is healing.”
James went on to thank those who have reached out to Mogen’s family to offer support throughout their grieving process.
“We now embark on a new path,” James said on behalf of the family. “We turn from tragedy and mourning. We turn from darkness and uncertainty of the legal process to the light of the future. We have closure. We embark on a path of hope and healing. We invite all of those who have mourned with us to join us, and we wish you well."
Steve Goncalves reacts to Bryan Kohberger's plea deal in Idaho student murders
Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, harshly criticized the plea deal that Bryan Kohberger agreed to for the murder of four University of Idaho students.
"He's going to own this," Steve Goncalves said of Judge Steven Hippler. "He's gonna inherit what [Bill] Thompson did. And he's the only one that can fix it. He's the one who can make it right. He needs to protect those other surviving victims and make this person say that they had nothing to do with it. He did it solely, he did it all on his own. And nobody else was responsible."
Steve Goncalves also criticized Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, saying he didn't seek justice.
"So he's not gonna take accountability. And Thompson didn't force him to take accountability. He didn't even negotiate. That's terrible," he said.
When asked if he thought four life sentences is justice, Steve Goncalves said: "No, of course not. It's daycare."
Bryan Kohberger sentencing set for July 23
Bryan Kohberger will be sentenced on Tuesday, July 23, at 9 a.m., following his guilty plea to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
The sentencing hearing will take place at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, where Judge Steven Hippler will officially set the terms of the plea agreement: four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus a 10-year sentence for felony burglary.
Kohberger, 30, waived his right to appeal or seek a reduction in sentence as part of the plea deal.
Bryan Kohberger’s parents in court for guilty plea
Bryan Kohberger’s parents was present in the courtroom Wednesday as their son pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger's father winced as Judge Steven Hippler formally accepted the plea agreement, which spares his 30-year-old son the death penalty in exchange for four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Kennedy Hayes
Bryan Kohberger confesses to Idaho murders
Bryan Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022.
On Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Judge Steven Hippler approved a plea agreement that spares Kohberger, 30, from the death penalty.
In exchange, he will serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
As part of the agreement, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
Bryan Kohberger arrives in court to change his plea in Idaho student murder case
Bryan Kohberger arrived at the Ada County Courthouse on Wednesday, where he's expected to plead guilty to the alleged murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
Ethan Chapin's family arrives to court for Bryan Kohberger's expected plea deal hearing
The family of Ethan Chapin has arrived at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho ahead of a hearing where Bryan Kohberger is expected to plead guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students.
Chapin's family arrived at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho Wednesday with Hunter Johnson and Emily Alandt and her parents. Johnson and Alandt were best friends with Chapin and Kernodle. Johnson prompted the 911 call after walking into the students' home after the murders.
Idaho murders timeline: Bryan Kohberger plea caps yearslong quest for justice
BOISE, Idaho – The long‑running University of Idaho homicide case has reached a decisive turn: Bryan Kohberger, the former Washington State University criminology Ph.D. student accused of killing four undergraduates in 2022, is expected to plead guilty when he returns to court Wednesday after accepting a deal.
The deal involves Kohberger agreeing to plead guilty in exchange for four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, waiving all appeals and sparing himself the death penalty, according to sources close to the case.
A formal change of plea hearing is set for 11 a.m. local time Wednesday in Boise's Ada County Courthouse. If the agreement is accepted by the judge, sentencing is expected before the end of July, closing one of Idaho’s most closely watched criminal cases.
Here's a timeline of the events leading up to Kohberger's plea deal.
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