Bryan Kohberger’s family have broken a years-long silence to make a galling request for privacy after their son secured a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The former criminology PhD student is expected to plead guilty to murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 in their off campus home in November 2022.
The plea will ensure he spends the rest of his life behind bars, without the possibility of parole or future appeals. In exchange, prosecutors have agreed not to pursue the death penalty.
Now, Kohberger’s family have spoken publicly for the first time since his initial arrest urging the public to respect their privacy.
The family went on to say it had been ‘a difficult time for all those affected.’
‘In light of recent developments, the Kohbergers are asking members of the media for privacy, respect, and responsible judgment during this time,’ they told NewsNation.
‘We will continue to allow the legal process to unfold with respect to all parties and will not release any comments or take any questions.
‘We ask that you respect our wishes during a difficult time for all those affected.’
Bryan Kohberger was pulled over with his father (pictured together) before his arrest
Kohberger’s family (father pictured) have spoken publicly for the first time since his initial arrest urging the public to respect their privacy
It marks just the second time during the entire ordeal that Kohberger’s family have addressed the allegations against him.
Shortly after his arrest, the family released a statement through attorney Jason A. LaBar expressing sympathy for ‘the four families who have lost their precious children.’
‘There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them,’ they said.
‘We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.
‘We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions.’
The extraordinary request comes as their son’s victim’s families grapple with the news that he is now likely to serve out his natural life behind bars.
The Goncalves family were particularly devastated by the news of a plea deal, issuing several statements on Monday night decrying the prosecutor’s efforts.
‘If anyone knows Judge [Steven] Hippler… reach out to him and ask him to put his foot down and not accept this offer,’ grieving dad Steve Goncalves said.
The former criminology PhD student will plead guilty to murder. From left: Dylan Mortensen, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee’s shoulders), Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Bethany Funke
Under the terms of the proposed deal, 30-year-old Kohberger will, on the murder counts, be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole – and, on the burglary count, the maximum penalty of 10 years
And Goncalves’ younger sister, Aubrie, said: ‘We are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for accountability. We are asking for dignity for our loved ones. And we are asking – pleading – for a justice system that truly lives up to its name.’
Kernodle’s aunt, Kim, was equally upset by the plea deal, while Mogen’s father said he had accepted the decision and believed it would avoid reopening old wounds.
Chapin’s family will support the proposed plea deal when it is presented to Judge Steven Hippler on Wednesday.
Prosecutors had tried to assure families that the plea deal was the best possible outcome, ensuring Kohberger will never be free while also avoiding a messy and traumatizing trial which could result in decades of appeals or even a verdict in which Kohberger walks free.
Under the terms of the proposed deal, 30-year-old Kohberger will, on the murder counts, be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole – and, on the burglary count, the maximum penalty of 10 years.
He will also waive all right to appeal his conviction or sentence down the line, ensuring that he will never have the possibility of freedom for the heinous crime that sent shockwaves across the nation.
But under the terms of the deal, Kohberger is under no obligation to reveal his motive for the vicious attacks.
He may also never disclose whether he was targeting one of the victims in particular, or why he spared two housemates who were in the home at the time of the attack.
It marks just the second time during the entire ordeal that Kohberger’s family have addressed the allegations against him
Over the course of the investigation into the murders, authorities have been unable to find any digital connection between Kohberger and any of the four victims, according to court documents.
There is also no known digital connection between Kohberger and the two surviving roommates.
Some investigators believe Mogen was the intended target based on the path Kohberger took once entering the home.
According to Dateline, Kohberger went straight to Mogen’s room on the third floor and was caught off guard when he found Goncalves sleeping with Mogen in her bed.
When a struggle then broke out, Kernodle – who was downstairs in the kitchen, looking at TikTok on her phone – went to investigate and the killer then chased her to her room, Dateline reported.
The killer stabbed Kernodle to death and then turned to her boyfriend Chapin, who was in her bed, killing him too and then ‘carving’ his legs.
Kohberger was arrested nearly six weeks after the students were found dead at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania where he had returned for the holidays.
The route allegedly driven Bryan Kohberger allegedly drove on the night of the brutal Idaho murders, based on cellphone data
Kohberger has been desperately trying to get the death penalty off the table over the past few months
Kohberger has remained behind bars ever since, and has been desperately trying to get the death penalty off the table over the past few months – even arguing at one point that his autism diagnosis precludes him from facing the ultimate punishment.
In more recent efforts, Kohberger’s defense attorneys tried to get his purchase of the balaclava deemed inadmissible to the upcoming trial, but prosecutors argued it was crucial to their case.
It now appears that the defense moved to reach a plea deal after Judge Hippler slapped down their efforts to point the finger at four alternate suspects – blasting his legal team’s evidence as ‘entirely irrelevant’ and ‘wild speculation
‘Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to reasonable inference that they committed the crime; indeed, it would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding,’ the judge wrote in his decision last week.
Just hours before news of the plea deal broke, the defense faced another setback after they apparently called the wrong witness and other witnesses expressed their bewilderment at being called at all.