Why families of Bryan Kohberger’s alleged victims might never find out what really happened the night of the murders
The families of Bryan Kohberger’s alleged victims might never find out what really happened the night of the murders or be given an explanation.
Just weeks before Kohberger was set to go on trial in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students after lengthy delays, it emerged Monday that he is expected to plead guilty after the prosecution proposed dropping the death penalty.
A hearing for Kohberger’s change of plea is expected to be held Wednesday, which has angered the families of the victims.
Trial attorney Mercedes Colwin told NewsNation that this means the families will likely be robbed of an explanation in the gruesome case.
“What the allocution is, generally, is you’ve accepted this plea, you understand that you’re going to be in prison for life. No explanation [is needed],” Colwin told Elizabeth Vargas Reports.
“It’s going to be gut-wrenching, because you’re going to hear from these parents whose children were slaughtered, and they’re going to continue to live the nightmare, not knowing why their children were slaughtered,” she said. “All they know is that this man’s life is spared and their children are dead.”
Allocution provides the defendant with an opportunity to accept responsibility or argue for mitigation circumstances for their sentence, but not all exercise their right to submit a statement, according to the American Bar Association.
Kohberger is accused of killing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022. They were found stabbed to death at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, near the University of Idaho campus.
The families of Goncalves and Kernodle have spoken of their outrage over the prosecution’s plea deal offer.
“We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho,” the Goncalves family wrote on Facebook Monday after news of the deal broke. “They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.”
Kim Kernodle, the aunt of Xana Kernodle, meanwhile disputed the prosecution’s concerns that the families would be subjected at trial to graphic images of their loved ones from the crime scene.
“We know the graphics. They were not trying to spare us,” Kernodle told TMZ.
The families claim they were only informed of the plea deal on Monday.
Prosecutors said they met with available family members last week about the potential plea deal, according to a letter sent to relatives, and obtained by ABC News.
“This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,” the letter read. “This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals.”
