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Kohberger to Plead Guilty in Idaho Student Murders to Avoid Death Penalty

He faces four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole following a change-of-plea hearing scheduled Wednesday in Boise.

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Overview

  • Kohberger agreed to plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in exchange for prosecutors dropping pursuit of the death penalty.
  • Under the plea deal, he will receive four consecutive life sentences without parole or the right to appeal.
  • The agreement comes weeks before an August trial date, with the formal change-of-plea hearing set for July 2 and sentencing expected later in July.
  • Investigators linked Kohberger to the November 2022 killings through DNA recovered from a knife sheath and cellphone location records placing him near the victims’ home.
  • Families of the victims have voiced outrage over the deal, with Kaylee Goncalves’s relatives saying the state failed to secure justice through a full trial.