Idaho murders Trial: Whether the murderer, Bryan Kohberger, will explain his motivation for the gruesome killings is unknown heading into the hearing, where relatives will get the opportunity to address Kohberger directly in the Boise, Idaho courtroom.
Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing is underway, as the families of the murdered Idaho college students confront the quadruple murderer.
On November 13, 2022, Kohberger came into the residence of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in the little village of Moscow in the middle of the night and stabbed the students to death as most of them slept.
Kohberger appears at the courthouse in Boise, Idaho, wearing an orange prison uniform and shackles.
The families of Goncalves, Kernodle, and Mogen are in court, where they will be able to inform Kohberger about the misery his actions have caused them, speak for the victims, and describe what they have been through over the previous several years.
Chapin’s family is not present at the court, but his mother, Stacy, posted a photo of her son as a toddler on her Instagram account with a blue love heart.
Kernodle’s father, Jeffrey, and sister Jazzmin were among the first families to arrive at the court Wednesday morning, followed by Steve and Kristi Goncalves, who declined to speak with reporters as they entered the building.
True crime lovers, the general public, and members of the media waited all night for a sight of the murderer inside the Ada County Courthouse.
For almost two years, Kohberger maintained his innocence. His long-awaited trial was just a few weeks away, slated for August 18, but he pled guilty on July 2.
The sudden plea agreement removed the death penalty from the table.
The relatives of Kohberger’s victims have been seeking an answer to one basic question: why?
His motivation remains unknown—and there is no assurance he will tell the truth during Wednesday’s sentence.
Kohberger will be given the opportunity to speak during an allocution, but he is not required to do so, and the judge cannot force him to.
Defendants may use their statement to express remorse, ask for mercy, or say anything else they believe the court should hear before sentencing.
They may, however, opt not to speak at all since the right to stay quiet guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution remains in force throughout sentencing hearings.
Kohberger’s defense counsel, lead by Anne Taylor, indicated last week that they would not issue any remarks after the sentence.
President Donald Trump stepped in on Monday, writing on Truth Social, “I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at the very least, explain why he committed these awful crimes. There are no explanations; there is nothing.
The killings devastated Moscow, a tiny town, in November 2022.
For weeks, only snippets of the carnage that night were revealed as the community recovered from the tragedy and dealt with fears of a murderer on the loose.
Kohberger, a graduate student at Washington State University at the time of the killings, was not apprehended until six weeks later, December 30, 2022.
At the plea-deal hearing earlier this month, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson described chilling details about the murders.
He described how Kohberger got into the six-bedroom, three-story residence and went to the third level, killing Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves first.
Then he murdered Xana Kernodle after encountering her when she was picking up a DoorDash delivery, before murdering her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was sleeping in their bedroom.
Only two other housemates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, survived the murders, with Mortensen coming face to face with Kohberger at one harrowing moment.
After departing the scene, Kohberger allegedly snapped a photo with his thumbs up that morning at his Pullman home in Washington state, just 9.5 miles from Moscow.
The leather sheath for the knife Kohberger used to murder Goncalves and Mogen was discovered on the bed, but the weapon itself was never found.
Six weeks later, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger was connected to the crime by cellphone location data, according to police, as well as surveillance footage of a white Hyundai Elantra, a similar model to the vehicle observed near the murder residence around the time of the crimes.
Kohberger altered the registration plates on his Hyundai Elantra a few days after the deaths.
/Source:nypost
After revising his plea to guilty, both parties agreed on a recommended sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus ten years for the burglary offense.
Kohberger forfeited his right to challenge any arguments raised in the case, eliminating the prospect of parole.
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