Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty Wednesday to the brutal 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, admitting in court to killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The guilty plea was part of a deal that allows Kohberger to avoid the death penalty. Instead, he faces four consecutive life sentences for the murders, plus an additional 10 years for a burglary charge. Sentencing is scheduled for July 23.
During the hearing in a Boise courtroom, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson outlined the disturbing details of the case. He revealed that Kohberger not only stabbed the four students to death in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, but also returned to the crime scene just hours later — before the victims’ bodies had been discovered.
At around 9 a.m., Kohberger’s cellphone was tracked back to the residence where the killings occurred. He remained at the location for about 10 minutes before returning to his dorm at Washington State University in Pullman. Once back, he took a selfie, grinning and giving a thumbs-up — a chilling detail Thompson described as “beyond disturbing.”…