Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to Idaho murders. Here’s what led to this point
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kohberger pleaded guilty to four murders, avoiding trial and death penalty.
- Investigators linked Kohberger to the crime through DNA, phone and vehicle data.
- Victims' families split on plea deal; sentencing scheduled for July 23, 2025.
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Plea deal reached in 2022 killings of four U of I students
Bryan Kohberger, suspect of killing University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho, agrees to a deal in exchange for no death penalty.
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After years of waiting, months of court battles and only weeks to go before trial, the murder case against Bryan Kohberger, suspected of stabbing to death four University of Idaho students, abruptly ended in 45 minutes.
That’s how long it took to conclude a plea hearing for Kohberger, the 30-year-old former Washington State University Ph.D. student who on Wednesday admitted for the first time that he killed the four students in a Moscow home in November 2022.
In the two and a half years since the victims — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — were killed, the case has captured national attention. Here’s a recap of the case.
Manhunt ends with Kohberger arrest, return to Idaho
Local and national law enforcement launched a manhunt after the bodies of the four victims were found in Moscow on Nov. 13, 2022. By Nov. 25, police asked the public for help finding a white Hyundai Elantra. Investigators disclosed few other details or leads until a month later.
Kohberger’s arrest at his family home in Pennsylvania in late December 2022 ended the search. He was transferred to Latah County in early January 2023 and has remained in Idaho ever since. Court filings shed some light on what led police to arrest Kohberger, including cellphone and vehicle records that showed Kohberger in close proximity to the King Road house numerous times before the victims were killed. Police also said they matched DNA from a knife sheath found at the scene with Kohberger’s DNA.
Kohberger initially appeared in front of Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall, who implemented a gag order to keep law enforcement, court officials and others close to the case from speaking publicly about it. That meant details remained sparse.
Trial set for 2023, then postponed
Kohberger was indicted by a grand jury in May 2023 and arraigned a short time later in front of 2nd District Judge John Judge, who entered a not guilty plea on Kohberger’s behalf when the suspect declined to speak at the hearing.
Judge set a trial date for October 2023.
In June, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty. By early August, Kohberger’s team offered his alibi for the first time, saying in court filings that Kohberger has “long had a habit of going for drives alone” and was doing so on the night of the killings.
On Aug. 23, 2023, Judge postponed the trial indefinitely after Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial. Officials said both sides needed time to collect evidence and prepare their cases.
King Road house demolished
Through much of 2023, the University of Idaho weighed how to handle the home where the killings had occurred. The property had been donated to the university by the previous homeowner.
Ultimately, university officials decided to demolish the house, as law enforcement said all evidence had been collected from the crime scene. The decision was met with resistance from some of the victims’ families, but the university pushed ahead with the plan on Dec. 28.
Officials said it was necessary for the university community to heal and had been requested by some students who lived in the area.
Trial moves to Boise, 2025 date set
Kohberger’s team requested a change of venue in early 2024. The defense argued that Kohberger could not receive a fair trial in Latah County because of the size of the community, the notoriety of the crimes and the severity of the charges he faced.
Debate continued for months in 2024 as the defense doubled down and prosecutors pulled for the case to remain in Moscow. In September, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that the case would be moved to Ada County, which has a larger population and more resources for a high-profile trial. It assigned 4th District Judge Steven Hippler to the case.
During an Oct. 9, 2024, hearing, Hippler again delayed the trial start date to August 2025.
University of Idaho opens garden honoring students
In August 2024, the University of Idaho opened its Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial, a place it said was meant to honor the memories of all students who died while enrolled at the university.
School officials added a sculpture specifically dedicated to the four stabbing victims.
The garden’s design was led by students and included input from the city, school and families of former students, university officials said.
Court case ramps up ahead of trial
The first few months of 2025 saw a flurry of activity in the trial, with numerous court hearings in Boise, troves of documents unsealed and new arguments and strategies revealed.
In March, Kohberger’s defense team tried again to have the death penalty thrown out in the case, this time by arguing that the suspect’s autism diagnosis made the sentence an excessive punishment. Hippler would later rule against the defense on this and other strategies to disqualify the death penalty.
Also in March, texts between the two surviving roommates in the King Road house became public for the first time, as did transcripts — and later, audio — of the 911 call made by the roommates and two other friends to report the crimes.
As details trickled out, the prosecution filed a list of its witnesses, which included law enforcement, DNA experts and even an Amazon employee who was expected to testify about a Ka-Bar knife and sheath purchased by Kohberger that matched the fixed-blade weapon used in the attacks and the sheath found at the scene.
‘Dateline’ leak prompts special investigation, request for delay
In May, NBC’s true crime TV series “Dateline” aired a two-hour special about the killings. The program included previously unreleased details, including what appeared to be photos and other data from Kohberger’s cellphone.
At a hearing a week later, Hippler ordered the defense and prosecution to retain any records related to the ongoing gag order and said he would be open to a request for a special investigation into any violations of the order related to the “Dateline” episode.
Hippler said during the hearing that the episode also prompted the court to add two alternative jurors, bringing the total to eight alternative jurors and 12 jury members.
Kohberger’s team filed a few days later to “continue,” or delay the case again, citing the “Dateline” episode and leaked information. Hippler denied the request on June 26 and adjusted the trial schedule by one week, setting opening arguments to begin Aug. 18.
Plea deal upends trial plans
The prosecution and defense reached an agreement Monday for a plea deal that allowed Kohberger to avoid the death penalty. On Wednesday, Kohberger appeared in court for a plea hearing during which he pleaded guilty to all four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
He’s expected to be sentenced to life for each murder charge and, as a condition of the deal, waived his right to appeal his conviction.
The deal was controversial for the victims’ families. Goncalves’ family and Kernodle’s father decried the agreement, while the Mogen and Chapin families issued statements expressing relief at avoiding a trial.
Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 23.
This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to Idaho murders. Here’s what led to this point."
