The prosecutor who handed Bryan Kohberger a plea deal to allow him to avoid the death penalty broke down as he read the victim’s names.
Prosecutor Bill Thompson choked up as he laid out the timeline of the shocking murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 at the hearing on Wednesday.
‘On November 13, 2022, excuse me…,’ Thompson said, growing emotional as he reached for a sip of water and a colleague patted him on the back.
He then broke down again as he read the names of Kohberger’s victims, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21.
His admission marked the first time the alleged killer has spoken in court. When asked whether he was pleading guilty because he is guilty, he coldly replied ‘yes’, as several of the victims’ heartbroken relatives broke down in tears.
Some of their relatives have vehemently opposed the plea deal because it spares Kohberger the death penalty, while other families have said they support it.
Kohberger stared coldly ahead as Thompson laid out the timeline, saying that he stalked the students’ home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho before the slayings.
Thompson said the state would have argued in court that Kohberger slipped in through a side door before killing Mogen and Goncalves on the third floor.
He said Kohberger then encountered Kernodle as she came down the stairs to pick up a Doordash order, and killed her with the same Ka-Bar knife he used on her roommates.
He then entered Kernodle’s bedroom and stabbed her sleeping boyfriend Chapin to death, Thompson said.
Prosecutor Bill Thompson choked up as he laid out the timeline of the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 at a hearing on Wednesday
Thompson grew emotional shortly after Bryan Kohberger (pictured) broke his silence in court as he confessed to murdering Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21
Thompson said that after Kohberger murdered the four students, he then returned to the home at around 9am the next morning and lurked outside for around 10 minutes.
He then returned to his home, and took a selfie of himself in his bathroom, where he looked menacingly into the camera with his hood up.
Thompson admitted that he could not precisely place Kohberger in the murder house, but said phone data put him in the area.
His vehicle, a white Hyundai Elantra, was also seen circling the home on 1122 King Road, before surveillance cameras caught it fleeing the scene shortly after the murders at a high rate of speed.
As his victims’ loved ones sobbed in the courtroom, Kohberger showed no emotion and stared ahead.
He stared intently at the judge – and then the prosecutor – as they spoke about his horrific crimes and the senseless violence that he inflicted upon the four young students.
Thompson broke down again as he read the names of Kohberger’s victims, Ethan Chapin , 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21
Thompson said that Kohberger took this selfie soon after murdering the four students
Thompson laid out the timeline, saying that Kohberger stalked the students’ home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho before the slayings
Madison Mogen’s father Ben Mogen hung his head and his legs shook as the judge asked Kohberger if he admitted to stabbing his daughter to death.
Kaylee Goncalves’ mother Kristi Goncalves, who was flanked by several family members, cried as the judge asked Kohberger if he had murdered her daughter and Kohberger replied in the affirmative.
The Goncalves family previously vented their fury at Thompson after he offered Kohberger the plea deal that spared him the death penalty.
They declared on Facebook that the State of Idaho ‘failed us’ as they hit out at prosecutors for failing to notify them that a plea deal was going through.
‘We weren’t even called about the plea; we received an email with a letter attached,’ family members said in a statement. ‘That’s how Latah County’s Prosecutor’s Office treats murder victims’ families.
‘Adding insult to injury, they’re rushing the plea, giving families just one day to coordinate and appear at the courthouse for a plea on July 2.’