Sachin Shankar Yadav 
For the 2022 killings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, Bryan Kohberger received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. As part of a plea deal where he acknowledged his guilt and the death penalty was dropped, he was also given an extra 10-year sentence for burglary.
- Kohberger entered a guilty plea earlier in July, and on July 23, 2025, he was sentenced in Boise, Idaho.
- At his sentencing, Kohberger, 30, refused to speak. He said, “I respectfully decline,” when Judge Steven Hippler gave him a chance to speak. In response, family members in court referred to him as a “coward.”
- “Even if I could force him [Kohberger] to speak, which legally I cannot, how could anyone ever be assured that what he speaks is the truth?” the judge asked, noting that the motivation is still unknown.
- During the nearly three-hour sentencing hearing, over a dozen relatives of the victims gave moving and passionate victim impact statements.
- Kohberger was vehemently denounced by family members, who called him “evil,” “monster,” and “going to hell.”
- When pictures of the victims were displayed in court, the people in attendance were visibly distraught and started crying.
- Speaking about the fear and loss they had on the night of the killings and in the months that followed, surviving roommates and friends also shared their stories.
- In addition to a $50,000 fine, the judge imposed a $5,000 civil penalty on Kohberger for each victim.
- Kohberger also gave up the opportunity to appeal or request a lighter sentence as a result of his plea agreement.
- With the judge and families agreeing that the real reason behind the murders might never be known, Kohberger’s lack of an explanation or apology exacerbated the suffering of the family members and increased public apprehension.
- No proof of a previous relationship between Kohberger and his victims has been discovered by law enforcement.
In a case that stunned the country, Kohberger’s sentencing ends one chapter, but families and the community still have unanswered questions about motivation and significance.