Bryan Kohberger to be sentenced for Idaho murders

July 23 (UPI) — Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in the killings of four University of Idaho students in 2022, is set to be sentenced Wednesday.

The hearing began at 11 a.m. EDT and is expected to last all day and could extend into Thursday because the judge will have to allow victim impact statements from families.

Kohberger, 30, pleaded guilty on July 2 to murdering students Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

The court said the hearing will be public and livestreamed. There were more than 50 people outside Ada County Courthouse before dawn, CBS News reported. Some had waited all night.

The plea agreement Kohberger took gives him four life sentences with no possibility of parole. The burglary charge adds another 10 years to his sentence. The agreement takes the death penalty off the table. But during the plea hearing, Judge Steven Hippler said the court could impose a different sentence. The case’s venue was transferred from Latah County to Ada County to ensure a fair trial.

Kohberger’s parents were at his plea hearing on July 2. It was their first time in court with Kohberger since his arrest in Pennsylvania.

“The Kohbergers are asking members of the media for privacy, respect, and responsible judgment during this time. We will continue to allow the legal process to unfold with respect to all parties,” attorneys for the family said in a statement.

The four students were roommates at an off-campus house. They were stabbed to death at the home early Nov. 13, 2022. Six weeks later, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger was a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., 9 miles west of Moscow.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the case on social media after the plea hearing, saying he thinks Kohberger should be required to reveal a motive.

“I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders,” he wrote. “There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING. People were shocked that he was able to plea bargain, but the Judge should make him explain what happened.”

Goncalves’ family thanked Trump for “pushing for justice,” saying in a statement to ABC News, “A confession without clarity does not bring peace.

“If the defendant is permitted to live, the bare minimum he owes us, and this country — is an explanation,” the family said.

The Mogen family was pleased with the plea agreement.

“This is the best outcome possible for the victims, their families and state of Idaho,” the Mogen family attorney read from a statement outside the courthouse.

“We lost our Maddie, our kind, loving, vivacious and caring daughter, full of purpose and promise,” the family said.

“We are grateful for the gift of her life, and we have grieved the loss of that life during each of these 962 days.”