OAN Staff Sophia Flores
4:05 PM – Monday, June 30, 2025
Bryan Kohberger, the lead suspect in the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, will now plead guilty to the slayings after reportedly taking a plea deal from prosecutors.
On Monday, Kohberger accepted a plea deal in exchange for Idaho prosecutors to drop the death penalty. The suspected killer must also admit a burglary charge stemming from the same incident, and he must agree to spend the rest of his life in prison — without the possibility of parole.
The former criminology student, who had previously pleaded not guilty, will alter his plea during a court hearing on Wednesday.
Advertisement
Jury selection for the trial was set to start on August 1st and opening arguments were scheduled to begin on August 18th.
Prosecutors now anticipate the sentencing to take place in late July. Kohberger will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count, according to the plea agreement.
Prior to the plea deal, prosecutors met with the victims’ family members last week, and they “weighed the right path forward and made a formal offer” to Kohberger.
“This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,” prosecutors wrote in the letter. “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. Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.”
Four college students, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 were murdered in the girls’ off-campus house on November 13th, 2022. Each individual was found with stab wounds.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
