Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty to Idaho Quadruple Murders
After nearly three years of denying involvement, Bryan Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the brutal killings of four University of Idaho students, a decision that spares him the death penalty but leaves many questions unanswered.
The 30-year-old criminology PhD student was set to face trial for the November 2022 murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.
His last-minute guilty plea has stunned many, including the victims’ families, who remain divided over the outcome.
Kaylee Goncalves’s father, Steve, described the plea deal as a “deal with the devil,” expressing frustration that the motive behind the crime remains unknown. In contrast, Madison Mogen’s father, Ben, saw the decision as a form of closure after years of anguish and public attention.
“It’s been this nightmare that’s been looming in our heads,” Mr. Mogen told the New York Times.
On the night of November 12, 2022, the four friends had gone out separately near the University of Idaho campus. Xana and her boyfriend, Ethan, attended a fraternity party, while best friends Kaylee and Madison visited a local bar and food truck.
They all returned home around 2 a.m. Unknown to them, a masked intruder had parked behind their off-campus house on King Road.
Entering through a sliding glass door, the attacker crept upstairs and stabbed all four students to death, leaving two other roommates unharmed.
The horrific scene left the small, tight-knit town in shock. The killer’s identity remained a mystery for over a month, feeding national speculation and turning the case into a viral obsession.
On December 30, 2022, police arrested Kohberger at his family home in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Key evidence led to his capture: surveillance footage of a white Hyundai Elantra near the crime scene, cellphone data placing him near the house before and after the murders, and most crucially, DNA found on a knife sheath recovered at the scene.
Authorities matched the DNA to a sample taken from Kohberger’s family trash.
Kohberger, a criminology doctoral candidate at Washington State University, had previously studied under renowned forensic psychologist and true crime writer Dr. Katherine Ramsland. She expressed disbelief upon hearing the news.
“It’s not the Bryan Kohberger I know,” she told the New York Times.
To this day, Kohberger has offered no motive for the killings. There are no confirmed links between him and the victims. Despite online investigations into his past, including old writings describing depression, addiction, and social struggles, the reason behind the attack remains speculative.
Some theories explored in documentaries and books suggest resentment over romantic rejection or an obsession with notoriety, comparing his mindset to mass killers like Elliot Rodger. However, none of these claims have been confirmed.
With the gag order now lifted, further details may emerge but for now, many questions persist.
