Bryan Kohberger Faces Sentencing in the Brutal Murders of Four Idaho College Students

Bryan Kohberger is set to be sentenced for the shocking stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, months after he accepted a plea deal that spares him from the death penalty.

The sentencing will take place Wednesday in an Ada County courtroom in Boise, Idaho. Family members of the victims are expected to deliver emotional statements during the hearing. Many of them are still searching for answers to a haunting question: Why would a graduate student commit such a horrific act against four young people—and leave two of their roommates alive?

As part of the plea agreement, the 30-year-old Kohberger will receive a life sentence for each murder, along with up to 10 years for a related burglary charge. The sentences will run consecutively. Under this deal, he waives his right to appeal or seek any form of sentence reduction. He officially pleaded guilty on July 2, but offered no motive or explanation for his actions.

“Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?” Judge Steven Hippler asked during the plea hearing.

“Yes,” Kohberger answered—repeating the word as he admitted guilt to each individual murder charge.

The families of Kaylee Goncalves (21), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20), and Ethan Chapin (20) have voiced frustration with the plea deal, feeling it has robbed them of closure.

“This was supposed to be the day we got answers,” the Goncalves family said in a statement. “Instead, we’re still stuck in this nightmare, waiting to understand why he took four beautiful lives. We’ve been trapped in this hell for more than two years.”

The Murders That Shook Idaho

On the early morning of November 13, 2022, the four students were killed in their off-campus home on King Road. Goncalves, Mogen, and Kernodle lived in the house. Chapin, who was dating Kernodle, had been spending the night. Two other roommates were home at the time but were unharmed.

That Saturday night, the students had been out. Goncalves and Mogen visited a local bar called The Corner Club and later stopped by a food truck before heading home. According to police, all four victims were in the house by 2 a.m. and in their rooms by 4 a.m. Around that same time, Kernodle reportedly received a DoorDash delivery.

One of the surviving roommates, identified in court documents as “D.M.,” told investigators she woke up after 4 a.m. to strange noises and crying. When she looked outside her room, she saw a masked man walking in the hallway. Frozen in fear, she didn’t move as the man walked past her and exited through a sliding glass door. D.M. immediately texted and called her housemates, then later contacted friends who discovered the bodies and called 911.

How Investigators Tracked Down Bryan Kohberger

At the time of the murders, Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington—just 10 miles from the University of Idaho.

Police say surveillance footage played a key role in the case. Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was seen near the crime scene multiple times between 3 and 4 a.m. on the night of the murders. One camera even caught the vehicle speeding away from the area at around 4:20 a.m., heading in the direction of Pullman.

Authorities also tracked Kohberger’s phone. It was turned off during the time of the killings—from 2:47 a.m. to 4:48 a.m.—but reconnected to the network shortly after, pinging towers along a highway route consistent with the car’s movement.

Eventually, investigators obtained DNA from a trash item collected outside Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania. Lab tests indicated the DNA was a strong match to genetic material found on a knife sheath discovered next to one of the victims in the Idaho home. The sheath, marked with “Ka-Bar” and “USMC” logos, had a single male DNA sample on its snap button.

Just days after confirming the DNA match, Pennsylvania authorities arrested Kohberger. He was later extradited to Idaho to face trial.

What Time Is Bryan Kohberger’s Sentencing?

Kohberger’s sentencing hearing will be held Wednesday morning (local time) in Boise. Many outlets, including Court TV, are expected to offer live stream coverage of the hearing.

The public, the media, and the victims’ families will finally hear the official sentence for a case that has captured national attention—and still leaves many questions unanswered.