Here is everything we know about the Idaho murders as Bryan Kohberger has accepted a controversial plea deal.
The criminology graduate is due to be sentenced next month, after being charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
In 2022, he killed University of Idaho students Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both aged 21, as well as 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.
Now, the 30-year-old suspect is understood to have accepted a judge’s plea deal which would mean he’d serve four consecutive life sentences as well as a maximum penalty of 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murder.
It would mean he’d be spared the death penalty – something that the victims’ families, particularly Goncalves’, are furious about. They have accused the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office of rushing the case which they allege has been ‘mishandled’.
Meanwhile, a motive for the murders has still not been determined.
The murders took place in November 2022 (Instagram/kayleegoncalves)
Just days after the murders, one of Kohberger’s neighbors from Washington State University’s Pullman campus told CBS news how he ‘asked if I had heard about the murders, which I did’.
The neighbor continued: “And then he said, ‘Yeah, seems like they have no leads. Seems like it was a crime of passion.’
“At the time of our conversation, it was only a few days after it happened, so there wasn’t much details out.”
Here’s everything we know and what will happen next as the case progresses…
The evening of the murders
At around 9pm on November 12, 2022, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin attend a Sigma Chi fraternity party, just a short walk from the King Road house.
Meanwhile, Kaylee Goncalves uploads Instagram photos with friends, captioned: “One lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl everyday.”
Around 10 pm, Madison Mogen and Goncalves head to the Corner Club sports bar in downtown Moscow.
At about 1:30am, Goncalves and Mogen are caught on a food-truck livestream ordering late-night snacks.
Attack and discovery
A make-shift memorial set up near the victims’ home where they were murdered (David Ryder/Getty Images)
On November 13 at 1:45 am, Kernodle and Chapin return to the three-level King Road house, Moscow. Goncalves and Mogen arrive by car at 1:56 am.
At 11.58 am, two surviving housemates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, place a 911 call reporting an ‘unconscious person.’ They were unharmed but discover their roommates fatally stabbed.
Police initially say there’s no ongoing community risk, then, after re-examining the scene, warn that the unknown suspect remains at large.
Early investigation
Moscow PD and Idaho State Police (with FBI support) confirm four victims, likely attacked with a large knife while asleep.
Autopsy shows multiple stab wounds and defensive injuries, while detectives seize nearby dumpsters for evidence, canvass local businesses for knife purchases, and emphasize it was a targeted attack.
On November 30, a vigil at the University of Idaho takes place; families vow to ‘get our justice’.
Days later, survivors Funke and Mortensen release letters describing their grief.
Suspect arrested and charged
Bryan Kohberger has accepted a plea deal (Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty Images)
On December 30, 2022, in Pennsylvania, at around 3am, police knock on the Kohbergers’ door. The 28-year-old is arrested on a fugitive warrant.
At the time, he’d just completed his first semester as a Ph.D. teaching assistant in Criminology at Washington State University’s Pullman campus – only a 15-minute drive from Moscow – and lived in an on-campus apartment and office that WSU Police searched under warrant.
DNA evidence (knife sheath) and cellphone-tower data had linked him to the crime scene.
Between Jan 3 and 5 2023, Kohberger waives extradition and is flown to Idaho. At his first appearance he’s ordered held without bail on four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary.
Pretrial motions and venue changes
- May 16, 2023: Latah County grand jury indicts on the murder and burglary charges.
- May 22, 2023: Arraignment – Kohberger remains silent; judge enters not-guilty pleas.
- June 26, 2023: Prosecutors announce they will seek the death penalty.
- Sept 12, 2024: Idaho Supreme Court orders the trial moved from Latah County to Ada County (Boise).
- Oct 8, 2024: Judge Hippler sets the trial to begin Aug 11, 2025.
Curve-ball plea deal
On June 30, Kohberger accepts a judge-approved plea: four consecutive life sentences plus up to 10 years on the burglary count – avoiding the death penalty.
Victims’ families decry the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office for a ‘secretive,’ rushed process, learning of the plea only one day before the scheduled July 2 hearing and without being consulted.
They’re now preparing to appeal the sentence.
What’s next
The scheduled jury selection – originally set for July 30 – and trial start – Aug 18 – will be vacated. Formal sentencing hearings and the families’ appeal will determine the next steps.
