Surprise Plea Deal Sidesteps Death Penalty
Bryan Kohberger, the former criminology Ph.D. student charged with the 2022 stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin — will plead guilty in a last-minute deal that takes the death penalty off the table. The agreement, first revealed Monday night by NewsNation’s Brian Entin, comes just weeks before the trial was set to begin and has blindsided victims’ families who say they were left in the dark.
Kohberger will plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. In return, he’ll serve four consecutive life sentences along with the maximum 10-year sentence on the burglary count without parole or appeal. The plea, initiated by the defense to spare Kohberger the death penalty, was accepted by prosecutors after what officials say were consultations with the families of the victims.
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Families Say the State Failed Them
The Goncalves family in particular voiced strong objections to the process and the outcome. They said they learned about the deal via email and were given little time to make arrangements to attend the upcoming hearing.
“The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” said Aubrie Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister. “Had this proposal come a year and a half ago, the families could have had time to process, discuss, and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence — however difficult that may be.”
Per ABC News:
The plea comes just weeks before Kohberger’s trial was set to begin. Jury selection was set to start on Aug. 4 and opening arguments were scheduled for Aug 18.
Prosecutors said in the letter to families that the state was approached last week by Kohberger’s defense team asking to be presented with an offer. Prosecutors said they then met with available family members last week, “weighed the right path forward and made a formal offer” to Kohberger.
“This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,” prosecutors wrote in the letter. “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. Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.”
The Goncalves family says they were given less than 72 hours’ notice to attend the plea hearing in Boise and have requested a delay to allow adequate time to travel.
Kohberger’s legal team had previously argued to have the death penalty dismissed, citing his autism diagnosis and other mitigating factors. Those motions were denied. But once the plea deal is accepted, execution is off the table for good, including by firing squad, Idaho’s primary method of execution starting next year.
Hearing Set for Tomorrow
The plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, July 2. While a judge could theoretically reject the deal, such rejections are rare. Pundits widely expect Kohberger will be formally sentenced and the case will conclude without a trial.
Nevertheless, the Goncalves family, and others impacted by the senseless violence that night, say they feel betrayed — not only by the defendant, but by a justice system they believe choose efficiency over accountability.
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Probably a sound decision by the DA but would have been much better to have families onboard with the decision. Don’t believe for a minute that this guarantees he will never be released. Time and liberal judges, governors and parole boards have a way of forgetting what he did years from now.
It’s an economics thing.
It costs far more in legal fees to execute someone than to incacerate tehm for the rest of their life.
I do think he deserves execution.