Suspect Pleads Guilty to Idaho Campus Murders

Bryan Kohberger, 30, admitted to murdering four university students in their sleep during the early hours of November 13, 2022, at a residence near the University of Idaho. Prosecutors detailed how he stealthily entered the off-campus home around 4 a.m., carrying a Ka-Bar knife purchased months earlier online, and attacked the victims with ruthless precision.

The victims—Maddy Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle—were found sleeping when Kohberger broke in. Prosecutor Bill Thompson described how he moved through the house, encountering Kernodle on the stairs, and fatally stabbed her. He then entered her bedroom where Chapin was sleeping and murdered him as well. Both victims, aged 20 and 21, were killed with a large knife, leaving DNA evidence behind, including on the sheath of the weapon.

Thompson revealed that Kohberger’s cell phone had pinged near the victims’ home multiple times during the night over several months, but the phone was turned off during the murders, indicating his presence at the scene. Security footage showed his vehicle leaving the area shortly after the murders, and records traced him back to Pullman, Washington, where he was studying.

Following the killings, Kohberger drove to his home and took seemingly bizarre steps to erase clues, such as cleaning his car meticulously and attempting to delete online purchase history. Evidence placed him at the scene, including DNA from the sheath and security camera footage of him leaving the neighborhood.

He was arrested after investigators analyzed DNA from items discarded by his parents and connected it to the sheath. His apartment was minimalistic, and his vehicle appeared to have been disassembled and scrubbed clean. Kohberger’s efforts to cover his tracks extended to changing vehicle registration from Pennsylvania to Idaho and traveling to nearby towns to dump the murder weapon, which was never recovered.

In court, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, avoiding the death penalty but accepting life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. His sentencing is scheduled for July 23, where he will have the chance to speak, although he has not indicated whether he will.