Idaho victims' families to address killer directly at Kohberger sentencing

It's judgment day for Bryan Kohberger the former aspiring criminologist who killed four University of Idaho students in a a m home invasion ambush in November The -year-old was studying for a Ph D at Washington State University in Pullman when he drove about miles to the off-campus rental house at King Road just across the state line in Moscow Idaho At a change of plea hearing July he admitted to killing four young people inside Madison Mogen Kaylee Goncalves Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin But he did not give a motive or explain anything other than admit his guilt Their families are expected to address him directly in court in the present day with victim impact statements in a sentencing hearing expected to take all day READ BRYAN KOHBERGER'S SIGNED KILLER CONFESSIONMogen and Goncalves who were best friends were killed in a third-floor bedroom Kohberger's key mistake the only publicly known physical evidence tying him to the crimes was a Ka-Bar knife sheath he left under Mogen's body Police discovered his DNA on the snap On the second floor Kernodle was awake having received a DoorDash delivery minutes earlier Kohberger killed her then turned his knife on her sleeping boyfriend Chapin who was spending the night A surviving roommate recounted police she heard crying and a man's voice say something to the effect of It's OK I'm going to help Then she saw a masked man with bushy eyebrows leave out the back door For whatever reason he didn't attack her IDAHO MURDERER BRYAN KOHBERGER S FORMER FRIENDS DIVE INTO KILLER S MINDSET ABOUT WHY HE DID ITThe victims' families have been split over the plea deal which required Kohberger to waive his right to appeal and to forfeit his right to seek a sentence reduction under Idaho law Particular of the families but not all are expected to deliver victim impact statements in a proceeding court functionaries predicted would run for the full day It remains unclear what if anything Kohberger will say While the plea deal specifically didn't require Kohberger to explain his actions at the July hearing Goncalves' father and several others including President Trump have mentioned they hope he is required to give greater detail at sentencing BRYAN KOHBERGER PLEADS GUILTY TO IDAHO MURDERSChapin's parents and the mothers of Kernodle and Mogen have all voiced encouragement for the plea deal which will spare them from years of appeals and the trauma of a trial In exchange for his guilty plea Kohberger avoids the death penalty and is expected to receive the maximum punishment of four consecutive life prison sentences with no possibility of parole plus another years His sentencing begins Wednesday at a m Mountain Time a m Eastern