The Wednesday sentencing hearing for Bryan Kohberger, 30, who earlier this month pled guilty to the slayings of four University of Idaho college students in 2022, was expected to be fiery and heartbreakingly emotional. And it was, but, in the end, the victims and their families were able to have the last word on the heinous crime that captured the world's attention.
As a recap, Kohberger was accused of the the November 13, 2022, murders of Idaho students Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, as they slept in their off-campus house. It later emerged that two additional roommates had been in the house during the killing spree, blissfully unaware of what was happening, with one even coming face to face with Kohberger as he exited the house. Chilling stuff.
The terrifying nature of the crime, not to mention the all-American wholesomeness of the victims, spawned copious amounts of media coverage, true crime podcast episodes, crazed Reddit threads, and, unfortunately, conspiracy theories claiming that the two surviving roommates were somehow involved. But, it was Bryan Kohberger and Bryan Kohberger alone who committed the heinous acts, and, faced with the possibility of the death penalty if convicted at trial, it was he who accepted a plea deal and finally admitted his guilt.
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The families were spared a trial, but were given the opportunity to give victim impact statements before the presiding judge, Judge Steven Hippler, handed down the sentence. And, finally coming face to face with the killer, they did not hold back. One of the surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, offered a stark assessment of what it's like being a survivor: "My nervous system never got the message it is over. But I keep seeing what he did to them." As for Kohberger, she offered this: "He is a hollow vessel. Something less than humane. A body without empathy or remorse. He chose destruction. He chose evil."
Alivea Goncalves, older sister of victim Kaylee, garnered applause from many in the courtroom for her no-holds-barred confrontation with the murder. Telling Kohberger to "sit up and listen," Goncalves went on to tell him, "Disappointments like you thrive on pain. I won't feed your beast. Instead I will call you what you are. Sociopath. Psychopath. Murderer." And, "You are not profound. You are pathetic. You are not special or deep. Not mysterious or exceptional. Don't ever get it twisted. No one is scared of you or thinks you are important."
Here's a bit of her master class:
MUST WATCH: Kaylee Goncalves' sister rips Bryan Kohberger at sentencing 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6h6zze9tfu
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 23, 2025
Several other family members followed, with some offering forgiveness, others encouraging Kohberger to find Jesus, and one father simply wishing for the murderer to "burn in hell." Many told of looking forward to prison justice being visited upon Kohberger.
Sitting with his all-female defense team, Kohberger responded, "I respectfully decline," when asked by Judge Hippler if he had anything to say to the court before sentencing. A coward to the very end, something Judge Hippler seemed to acknowledge when handing down the sentence of ten years for burglary and four life sentences to be served consecutively. Bottom line, this killer will die in prison.
Idaho District Judge Steven Hippler on Bryan Kohberger before sentencing him to life in prison: "Truth be told, I am unable to come up with anything redeeming about Mr. Kohberger, because his grotesque acts of evil have buried anything that might have been good or intrinsically… pic.twitter.com/0hc1phc0QY
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 23, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered some words of comfort for the families at her Wednesday afternoon briefing.
"We are so sorry for the grief and the pain that you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer. Our nation grieves with you and we will never forget the precious souls who were lost in this horrific act of evil," she said."If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls," she said.
"May God bless everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy. Especially the parents who lost their children."
This is a story RedState has been following from the very beginning, starting with the shocking news that four young lives had been snuffed out in an unimaginable and horrific way. It's gratifying to finally close the loop on the story and see Lady Justice do her thing, but this hearing proved that the nightmare will never be over for the families.
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