In a college town in Idaho in 2022, a former doctoral student who studied criminology admitted guilt.
In a plea deal that removes the death penalty, Bryan Kohberger, 30, admitted to the killings. In a country where murders are not uncommon, the case attracted national attention for its brutality and shock.
Judge Steven Hippler posed a number of questions to Kohberger at the hearing on Wednesday.
Did you enter the residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13th, 2022 with the intention to murder? the judge inquired.
Kohberger responded, “Yes.”
“You’re pleading guilty because you’re guilty,” you ask? The judge then made an inquiry.
Kohberger responded, “Yes.”
Kohberger had previously entered a not-guilty plea to burglary and first-degree murder. He later confirmed to the court that he had entered a rental home where four University of Idaho students were staying on Wednesday.
The four friends, who appear to have no prior contact with him, were then killed by sliding through a sliding door in the kitchen. The slayings were not motivated by a prosecution’s investigation.
According to Hippler, the plea agreement stipulated that Kohberger would be required to serve four consecutive life sentences and waive his right to contest or have the sentence reconsidered.
On July 23rd, a tentative sentence will be set for formal sentencing.
Moscow, a rural college town that hadn’t had a murder in five years, was initially uneasy by the killings and had no idea what to do with them.
Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen were the victims.
Kernodle was from Arizona, while Mogen and Goncalves were both from Idaho. Chapin, her boyfriend, was a native of Washington. At the time of their deaths, all four of the victims had ages of 20 or 21.
Each was repeatedly stabbed, with some instances of defensive harm, according to autopsies.
Families react as Kohberger receives a life sentence
The three women’s residence was off-campus and the three women lived in the early morning hours.
Best friends Mogen and Goncalves had visited a local bar and food truck, while Kernodle and Chapin had previously attended a party the night before. Before 2 a.m. local time (9:00 GMT), all four are alleged to have left the house. Their bodies were discovered early in the morning.
Two other women who were present at the time did not suffer any harm.
A surviving roommate allegedly told investigators that she heard a crying person in one of the victims’ bedrooms the night of the murders and that she saw a man walk past her and leave the house.
Authorities claimed to have used cellphone data, video footage, and DNA evidence to link Kohberger to the murders. He was taken into custody in Idaho after being detained in Pennsylvania for a few weeks while visiting with his family.
The family of Goncalves criticized the plea agreement as being “a hurried effort to close the case without the victims’ families,” according to a statement released by the family.
Steve Goncalves, the victim’s father, was questioned on Wednesday about his belief that the four life sentences would bring about justice for the case.
He replied, “No, of course not. Daycare is offered. Daycare is in the privacy.
Source: Aljazeera
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