T he murder of four college students rocked the quiet town of Moscow, Idaho, and led to the arrest of prime suspect Bryan Kohberger . Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – all students at the University of Idaho – were ambushed in their rooms and stabbed to death with a military-style knife that has yet to be found. Police were called to the gruesome scene at the off-campus residence almost eight hours after the vicious attack.
For weeks, only scant details about the carnage were revealed as the community reeled from the tragedy and grappled with fears of a murderer on the loose. That changed with the December 2022 arrest of Washington State University student Mr Kohberger, whose apartment, office and family home were raided and searched for evidence. A grand jury indicted Kohberger on four counts of first-degree murder and one burglary charge, effectively rerouting the case directly to the state’s felony court level and allowing prosecutors to skip the preliminary hearing process.
A trial was initially set for October 2023 but was postponed when Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial. After over two and a half years, Kohberger’s trial was scheduled to start on August 18. But now, Kohberger is expected to take a plea deal , according to several reports.
NewsNation’s Brian Entin reported Monday, citing unnamed sources, that the prosecution had proposed dropping the death penalty in exchange for Kohberger pleading guilty to the four m.
