Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger accepts plea deal to avoid death penalty

Alex Brizee, Kevin Fixler and Hayat Norimine, The Idaho Statesman on Jun 30, 2025

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Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the highly anticipated murder trial accused of killing four Idaho college students, accepted a plea deal.

A victim’s family member told the Idaho Statesman that they received a letter, and provided the letter to the Statesman, confirming the plea deal. The plea deal was first reported by NewsNation.

Kohberger, 30, was accused of fatally stabbing the University of Idaho students in November 2022 in their off-campus Moscow home. He faced four first-degree murder charges and, if convicted, could have been sentenced to death in a trial that was slated to start with opening statements on Aug. 18.

Families of the victims met with prosecutors last week to discuss the possibility of a plea deal, which the prosecution in the letter said “weighed heavily” in their decision-making process.

“We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” read the letter, signed by Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson and Ashley Jennings, his senior deputy. “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family. 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.”

The victims were seniors Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21; junior Xana Kernodle, 20; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20. The three women lived in the Moscow home with two female roommates who went unharmed in the attack early on a Sunday morning. Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend and stayed over for the night.

All four victims were students at the University of Idaho, while Kohberger was studying criminology at Washington State University, a 15-minute drive from Moscow.

The 2 1/2-years-long case, which thrust Idaho into the national spotlight, spanned several states as investigators searched for a suspect for nearly seven weeks before arresting Kohberger at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. More than 100 law enforcement personnel assisted the local police force, including the Idaho State Police, the FBI and the Latah County Sheriff’s Office.

The plea deal — which the defense requested — offered to take the death penalty off the table, in exchange for Kohberger pleading guilty to the four first-degree murder charges and an additional charge of felony burglary. He’s expected to appear in court at 11 a.m. July 2 for a change of plea hearing, according to the letter, which was provided to one of the victims’ families.

If Kohberger pleads guilty “as expected,” he’ll likely be sentenced in late July to life in prison, according to the letter. If he doesn’t, the trial will proceed as planned. As a part of the plea deal, Kohberger will also have to waive his right to an appeal.

The trial court administrator and spokesperson for the Idaho court system declined to comment. When reached by phone, the Latah County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office also declined to comment, citing the gag order.

Goncalves family ‘beyond furious’

The Goncalves family has been staunch advocates for Kohberger receiving the death penalty, while other families haven’t been so outspoken.

There’s “no equivalent” aside from the death penalty for someone convicted of murder, Steve Goncalves wrote in a text message to the Statesman in the days before the deal was reached. The more victims someone is accused of killing, he added, the further it should tip the scales to death “as the only option.”

“We are beyond furious at the state of Idaho. They have failed us,” the Goncalves family posted on its Facebook page. “Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.”

For Madison Mogen’s father, the plea deal isn’t as upsetting.

He told the Statesman that if avoiding a trial means his family can avoid reopening wounds that they’ve already worked toward healing, he accepts the agreement.

Still, the plea deal came as a surprise to even veterans in the legal field.

Edwina Elcox is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor in Boise. She said the “writing was on the wall” for Kohberger in terms of the death penalty if a jury found him guilty of the murders, and may have proven too big a risk, and resulted in the change in plea.

That may have led to some additional conversation between his defense team with him, Elcox told the Statesman by phone, over concerns that he could expect no other sentence with a conviction.

“These are dice I would not want to roll with a client,” she said. “Maybe you get an anti-death penalty juror, but also you may not.

“Take your pick of the rulings that were adverse to the defense — and with a series of them — this is one of those moments where, ‘Listen, you have right to go to trial, but if we can mitigate it and get the death penalty off the table,’ as I’ve said all along, if you get that off table in case like this, that’s a victory” for the defense.

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