Suspect in University of Idaho killings to enter plea Monday
MOSCOW, Idaho — Byran Kohberger will plead guilty Monday after he was indicted on four counts of murder and one count of burglary in the November 2022 murder of four University of Idaho students.
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in a house off campus early in the morning of November 13.
Life on the university campus seemed to come to a standstill as it took investigators 47 days to make an arrest.
Kohberger, a Washington State University criminology graduate student, was arrested in mid-December at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania after DNA was left on a knife sheath at a crime scene believed to be linked. regarding him.
“People want to understand the ‘why’ and that hasn’t been articulated here yet,” said Seattle University Law Professor Deirdre Bowen.
Brown says it could be a while before the case goes to trial – with many things to be decided in advance. It is likely that the defense will support the change of location.
“Certainly this is a case that has attracted national attention but one of the reasons for the change of location is not to find people completely unfamiliar with the case but perhaps to find a places where they are less emotionally invested or attached to the case,” Bowen.
And then it’s likely the state will pursue the death penalty – a decision that needs to be made before the case goes to trial – a sentence that experts say could slow the legal process. .
“During the sentencing phase, the state will also have to prove that the crime was of such a serious nature that the evidence reached the point where it would warrant the death penalty – so there would be a much longer trial to resolve. both of these periods before he was sentenced to death,” Bowen said.
As the wheel of justice slowly turned, the families and friends of the victims celebrated what might have happened. This spring, Ethan Chapin’s family is selling tulips named after him from a farm in Mount Vernon, with the proceeds going to support a scholarship fund for students in Skagit County.
“Honestly, that’s the best we can do besides being his voice and trying to do something positive on his behalf, create something positive in this situation. ,” Stacy Chapin, Ethan Chapin’s mother told KING 5 on April 8.
And just a few weeks ago, Ethan, Xana, Madison and Kaylee were all honored at the University of Idaho’s graduation ceremony.
