Overview

• On July 2 in Boise, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary under a deal that removes the death penalty option
• He waived all rights of appeal and faces four consecutive life sentences plus a 10-year term when a judge formalizes the agreement on July 23
• Investigators built the case on DNA from trash outside his family home and a knife sheath at the scene, matched through genetic genealogy
• Families of the victims, particularly Kaylee Goncalves’s parents, denounced the plea deal for eliminating a trial and keeping Kohberger’s motive undisclosed
• Prosecutors acknowledge no evidence of prior contact between Kohberger and the four students, leaving key questions about his motive unresolved