On July 23rd, 2025, Bryan Kohberger was about to be sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of four University of Idaho college students. The November 2022 slayings of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Maddie Mogen shocked the entire nation. The four friends had crashed after a night of partying when Kohberger, a graduate student at nearby Washington State University, snuck into their off-campus home through an unlocked sliding-glass door and killed them all with a large knife. Prosecutors had cut a deal with the devil. After months of asserting his innocence, Kohberger, 30, agreed to plead guilty to four counts of murder and one count of burglary, and to waive all rights to any appeal. In return, he’d avoid the gas chamber. For some, particularly the loved ones of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Kohberger, they believed, deserved to die for his crimes. Following the initial shock of the news, the remaining victims’ families said they supported the deal. From their viewpoint, Kohberger would spend the rest of his life in prison and they wouldn’t have to spend the rest of theirs attending courtroom hearings listening to lawyers squabble over technicalities.

Before authorities sent Kohberger on a one-way trip to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, family members of Ethan, Xana, Kaylee, and Maddie had one opportunity to face him at sentencing. It was an opportunity they did not take lightly, resulting in one of the most unforgettable and jaw-dropping courtroom scenes in recent memory.

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Research and writing by: K. Brant.

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