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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Andrea Cavallier and Rhian Lubin

‘Coward’ Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison after refusing to reveal motive in Idaho college murders

A judge Wednesday sentenced Bryan Kohberger to die in prison for the “senseless slaughter” of four Idaho college students after the killer refused to reveal his motive before learning his fate.

An emotional and, at times, choked up Judge Steven Hippler condemned Kohberger to spend the rest of his life behind bars for committing “unspeakable evil” as he handed him four consecutive life sentences, and an additional 10 years for burglary, without the possibility of parole.

On Nov. 13, 2022, Kohberger broke into the off-campus home of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in the small town of Moscow during the middle of the night and stabbed the students to death as most of them slept.

The only time Kohberger spoke at Wednesday’s hearing was to “respectfully decline” the opportunity to address the court or reveal why he committed the gruesome crimes.

“Parents who took their children to college in a truck filled with moving boxes had to bring them home in hearses lined with coffins,” Hippler said before pronouncing his sentence in the Boise, Idaho courtroom.

Bryan Kohberger appeared in the courtroom in Boise, Idaho, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffs. He was sentenced to life without parole for the murders of the four Idaho college students. (AP)

To this day, investigators have not found a single connection between Kohberger and his victims, Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson said at a press conference after the hearing.

Sentencing Kohberger, the judge acknowledged the families’ longing to understand the murderer’s motive, and said we may never know why.

“By continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance, we give him agency. We give him power,” Hippler said.

“The need to know what is inherently not understandable makes us dependent upon the defendant to provide us with a reason, and that gives him the spotlight, the attention and the power he appears to crave.”

During the nearly three-hour hearing, devastated parents, grandparents, siblings and surviving roommates of the four slain students told Kohberger that “nobody cares” about him as they confronted the mass murderer.

Kohberger, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and wearing handcuffs, was emotionless and even looked bored most of the time as he slouched back in his chair but occasionally flinched as he listened to heart-wrenching statements in the courtroom.

Kohberger broke into the home of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in the small town of Moscow during the middle of the night and stabbed the students to death. (Instagram)

Through tears and rage, the families told Kohberger of the agony his crimes have inflicted upon them and what they have endured over the last few years.

Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson was also brought to tears as he recommended Kohberger spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, turned to face Kohberger head-on to deliver his powerful impact statement.

“Nobody cares about you,” he told the killer. “From this moment, we'll forget you. You tried to plant fear, you tried to divide us. You failed. You united everyone in their disgust for you.”

The parents of Kaylee Goncalves, who told Kohberger ‘nobody cares’ about him. (AP)

“The world’s watching because of the kids, not because of you. Nobody cares about you. … In time, you will be nothing but two initials, forgotten to the wind,” Steve Goncalves added.

He called Kohberger a “joke” as he also described how easy it was to track him down.

“Police officers tell us within minutes they had your DNA. Like a calling card. You were that careless. That foolish. That stupid. Master degree? You’re a joke. Complete joke,” Goncalves mocked.

Kaylee’s sister, Alivea Goncalves, unleashed on Kohberger, calling him a “psychopath” in a statement that drew applause for the way she laid into the killer.

“The truth is, you’re basic,” she said, directly speaking to Kohberger. “Let me be very clear: Don’t ever try to convince yourself you matter just because someone finally said your name out loud. I see through you,” she said.

“Sit up straight when I talk to you,” she demanded of the slouching murderer.

Kaylee’s sister, Alivea Goncalves, unleashed on Kohberger, calling him a “Psychopath” in a statement that drew applause for the way she laid into the killer. (AP)

“Disappointments like you thrive on pain. I won’t feed your beast,” she said. “Instead, I will call you what you are. Sociopath. Psychopath. Murderer.”

“You want the the truth? Here’s the one you’ll hate the most: If you hadn’t attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would’ve kicked your f***ing ass,” Alivea Goncalves raged at Kohberger.

The courtroom broke out in applause.

Kaylee’s mom, Kristi Goncalves, told Kohberger that “hell will be waiting.”

“You are nothing. May you continue to live your life in misery. You are officially the property of the state of Idaho, where your fellow inmates are anxiously awaiting your arrival,” she said.

Loved ones of Xana Kernodle also condemned Kohberger “to hell.”

“You are going to suffer. I am shaking because I want to reach out to you. Go to hell,” said Randy Davis, Xana’s stepfather, as he pointed at Kohberger in a rage.

Xana’s mother, Cara Northington, read an emotional letter to her daughter, who had “a light so bright it will live on forever.”

Dylan Mortensen, comforted by a loved one in the court, told Kohberger that he was “a hollow vessel, something less than human.” (AP)

“Nothing man can do to you can ever compare to the wrath of God,” Northington said. “Inveitably, you’ll stand before our Lord and you’ll have to answer to him over the sins you’ve committed in murdering our children.”

Dylan Mortensen, one of the two roommates who survived the killings, told Kohberger he was “evil” as she defiantly told him he would “never take away” her voice.

Through tears, Mortensen told Kohberger that he was “a hollow vessel, something less than human.”

The other surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, whose statement was read aloud by a friend, revealed that she slept in her parents’ bedroom for a year after the murders.

Funke also expressed regret over not calling 911 sooner.

Cara Northington, Xana Kernodle’s mother, read an emotional letter to her daughter, who had “a light so bright it will live on forever.” (AP)

Madison Mogen’s stepfather, Scott Laramie, said that the family “will grow old without our only child” in an emotional statement that shared the crushing loss of an only child who was just about to embark on the world.

“Karen and I are ordinary people, but we lived extraordinary lives because we had Maddie. Maddie was taken senselessly and brutally in a sudden act of evil,” Laramie said.

“Since Maddie’s loss, there’s emptiness in our hearts, home and family -- an endless void.”

Kohberger’s mother, accompanied in court by his sister, quietly sobbed as parents of the victims described their grief.

Chapin’s family was not at the hearing, but his mom, Stacy, shared a picture of her son as a child to her Instagram story with a blue love heart.

Kohberger, pictured at the plea-deal hearing on July 2, will be given the chance to speak in what’s known as an allocution, but he doesn’t have to say anything — and the judge can’t force him to. (AP)

True crime fans, members of the public and the media were camped out all night to ensure they get a glimpse of the killer inside the Ada County Courthouse.

For more than two years, Kohberger maintained his innocence. His long-awaited trial was just weeks away and scheduled for August 18, but in a bombshell twist, he pleaded guilty on July 2.

The sudden plea deal took the death penalty off the table.

The families of Kohberger’s victims have been longing for an answer to one simple question: Why?

His motive remains a mystery— and will likely remain so.

Defendants can use their statement to express remorse, ask for mercy or to say whatever else they think the court should hear before sentencing.

But because the U.S. Constitution’s 5th Amendment guarantee of the right to remain silent remains in effect during sentencing hearings, they can choose not to speak at all.

Kohberger’s team of defense attorneys announced last week that they won't be releasing any statements after the sentencing.

President Donald Trump weighed in Monday, posting on Truth Social: “I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders. There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING.”

The murders shook the small town of Moscow in November 2022.

For weeks, only scant details about the carnage that night were revealed as the community reeled from the tragedy and grappled with fears of a murderer on the loose. Kohberger, a graduate student at Washington State University at the time of the murders, wasn’t arrested until six weeks later, on December 30, 2022.

At the plea-deal hearing earlier this month, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson outlined chilling details of the night of the murders.

He told the court how Kohberger broke into the six-bedroom three-storey house and headed to the third floor, where he killed Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves first.

The selfie Kohberger took at his home in Pullman, Washington state, just hours after carrying out the murders, the prosecution said. (Latah County Prosecutor’s Office)

Then, he killed Xana Kernodle after encountering her while she was picking up a DoorDash delivery, before stabbing her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was asleep in their bedroom.

Two others, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, were the only roommates to survive the killings, with Mortensen coming face to face with Kohberger at one terrifying moment.

After fleeing the scene, prosecutors said that Kohberger took a selfie that morning at his Pullman residence in Washington state, approximately 9.5 miles from Moscow, with his thumbs up.

The leather sheath from the knife Kohberger used to murder Goncalves and Mogen was discovered on the bed, but the weapon itself has never been found.

Six weeks later, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger was linked to the crime through cellphone location records, police said, and security video of a white Hyundai Elantra, a similar model of the car seen near the murder home around the time of the murders. Kohberger changed the license plates on his Hyundai Elantra just days after the murders.

After changing his plea to guilty, both sides in the case agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, in addition to 10 years for the burglary charge.

Kohberger waived his right to appeal any issues in the case, without the possibility of parole.

This is a breaking story, check back for live updates

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