Overview

• On July 2 in Boise, Idaho, 30-year-old Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the 2022 deaths of University of Idaho students
• Judge Steven Hippler approved a plea agreement that bars capital punishment and imposes four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole or appeal
• Prosecutors linked Kohberger to the November stabbings through DNA from a knife sheath at the Moscow crime scene and cell phone records placing him near the victims’ home
• The deal produced mixed reactions among the victims’ families, with some embracing closure and the Goncalves family condemning the secrecy and speed of the agreement
• Sentencing is scheduled for July 23 and key questions remain unanswered, including Kohberger’s motive and why two roommates survived