Families of the Idaho students Bryan Kohberger stabbed to death are set to see him sentenced
By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE Idaho AP A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole this week for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago Wednesday s sentencing hearing will give the families of Xana Kernodle Madison Mogen Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves the opportunity to describe the anguish they ve felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of Nov Brian Kohberger charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students appears at the Ada County Courthouse Wednesday July in Boise Idaho AP Photo Kyle Green Pool Kohberger was a graduate pupil at Washington State University when he broke into a nearby rental home through a kitchen sliding door and killed the four friends who appeared to have no connection with him Police initially had no persons of interest and the killings terrified the normally quiet locality in the small western Idaho city of Moscow Various students at both universities left mid-semester taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe But investigators had a insufficient critical clues A knife sheath left near Mogen s body had a single source of male DNA on the button snap and surveillance videos revealed a white Hyundai Elantra near the rental home around the time of the murders Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a manageable suspect and accessed cellphone material to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings Online shopping records established Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier along with a sheath like the one at the home Related Articles At present in History July the Detroit riot begins Howie Carr Biden s limit mess remains a nightmare Erik Menendez is in hospital for a anatomical condition His attorney seeks his release In-N-Out Burger CEO to join the list of high-profile business figures to leave California Air traffic controllers didn t warn a B- bomber crew about a nearby airliner the Air Force says Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings He initially stood silent when requested to enter a plea so a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf Both the analysis and the court scenario drew widespread attention Discussion groups proliferated online members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the situation Selected self-styled armchair web-sleuths pointed fingers at innocent people entirely because they knew the casualties or lived in the same town Misinformation spread piling additional distress on the already-traumatized population As the criminal circumstance unfolded Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson released that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted The court-defense company led by attorney Anne Taylor challenged the validity of the DNA evidence unsuccessfully pushed to get theories about achievable alternate perpetrators admitted in court and repeatedly demanded the judge to take the death penalty off of the table But those efforts largely failed and the evidence against Kohberger was strong With an August trial looming Kohberger reached a plea deal Prosecutors agreed to drop their efforts to get a death sentence in exchange for Kohberger s guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary Both sides agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole plus an additional years for the burglary charge Kohberger also waived his right to appeal any issues in the situation
