Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty in the killings of four Idaho college students in order to avoid the death penalty.
As part of the agreement, Kohberger, 30, waived all rights to appeal and will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with no possibility for parole.
The murder trial was set to begin next month, starting with jury selection on Aug. 4, and opening arguments two weeks later.
Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in connection with the killings of roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin.
The Goncalves family blasted the plea deal Monday evening on social media.
“It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support,” they wrote on Facebook.
All four were fatally stabbed at the women’s off-campus home early the morning of Nov. 13, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. The victims were University of Idaho students.
Two other roommates survived, including one who described to police seeing a man in black clothes walk past her in the house.
Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time, was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania in December 2022 and extradited to Idaho. WSU, in Pullman, Washington, is just a short drive away from Moscow.
He was identified as a suspect through DNA evidence at the scene, cellphone records and his Hyundai Elantra.
Last week a judge ruled that Kohberger’s defense could not introduce an alternate perpetrator theory during the upcoming trial.
A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
