Bryan Kohberger, 30, was sentenced Tuesday to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the 2022 murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. He also received an additional 10 years for burglary and was ordered to pay $270,000 in fines and civil penalties. Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month, avoiding the death penalty and waiving his right to appeal.
Judge Steven Hippler called Kohberger “the worst of the worst” during sentencing, stating there was no sign of remorse or redemption. Family members delivered emotional victim impact statements, with Goncalves’s mother declaring, “Hell will be waiting.” Survivor Dylan Mortensen described Kohberger as “less than human,” highlighting the devastation left behind.
The case shocked the nation after the four students were brutally stabbed in their off-campus home on November 13, 2022. Investigators linked Kohberger to the crime through DNA found on a knife sheath left at the scene, cellphone tower records, and surveillance of his vehicle. He was arrested at his family’s Pennsylvania home in December 2022. The guilty plea halted what was set to be a lengthy death penalty trial.
This sentencing ensures Kohberger will never walk free again.
