Bryan Kohberger takes plea deal in Idaho student murders case
Bryan Kohberger to enter guilty plea Wednesday
Bryan Kohberger is expected to plead guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students on Wednesday.
BOISE, Idaho - Bryan Kohberger has accepted a plea deal in the quadruple-murder case against him, according to multiple reports.
Sources are reporting that Kohberger, the man charged in the 2022 stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, will plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.
He now avoids the death penalty and will instead serve four life sentences, a family friend of Madison Mogen confirmed to FOX 13.
The trial was expected to begin in August. A judge previously ruled that prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Kohberger if he was convicted.
Judge maintains death penalty as possible punishment for Bryan Kohberger
Prosecutors in Idaho can pursue the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if he is convicted, a judge ruled Thursday.
Kohberger, 30, is accused of stabbing and killing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested months later at his parents’ home in eastern Pennsylvania.
The family of Kaylee Goncalves has since responded to the news about the plea deal, saying they are "beyond furious at the State of Idaho."
A screenshot of the Goncalves family statement posted to Facebook. (via Facebook)
Kohberger is a former criminology Ph.D. student attending Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. He was living about 10 miles away from the crime scene when the murders took place.
The plea deal comes after much evidence has publicly come out against Kohberger, including matching DNA, phone tower and call records, and a knife purchase made on Amazon.
Kohberger's defense team has also made several efforts to push back the trial and exclude evidence, with most requests being denied by judges.
Bryan Kohberger's Amazon history, phone tracking witnesses denied by judge
An Idaho judge has denied Bryan Kohberger's request to bring in defense experts to offer testimony against the prosecution's theories about his movements and Amazon shopping history.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Source: Information in this story came from TMZ, FOX Digital and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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