Idaho murders: Bombshell update after four students killed, furious family speaks out

The sister of one of four college students slaughtered in their home has spoken out about a bombshell development in the case.

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of a horror quadruple homicide in a case that has captivated the world, has reportedly accepted a plea deal in order to avoid the death penalty.

Kohberger will now plead guilty to the brutal killing of four American college students in their own home in Idaho, according to reports. The 30-year-old had previously pleaded not guilty.

The bombshell update was first reported by NewsNation reporter Brian Entin.

Four consecutive life sentences and waiving his right to appeal is part of the plea deal.

The bodies of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were discovered inside their sharehouse on November 13, 2022.

Two other housemates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were left unharmed.

Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, was arrested for the murders in December 2022.

University of Idaho murder victims Kaylee Goncalves (with Madison Mogen on shoulders), Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernolde. Dylan Mortensen (left) and Bethany Funke (right) survived. Picture: Instagram

The plea deal comes just weeks before his trial was meant to begin, with jury selection starting on August 4 and opening arguments on August 18.

A court hearing over the bombshell U-turn is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, local time.

Prosecutors wrote a letter to victims’ family members about the plea agreement after meeting with those who were available last week.

“This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,” prosecutors said in the letter seen by the American Broadcasting Company.

“This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals.

“Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.”

Bryan Kohberger. Picture: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

But the family of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, said they told prosecutors the plea deal was a “hard no” from their family when they met on Friday and again on Monday (local time).

“We met with prosecution AGAIN today to reiterate our views on pushing for the death penalty. Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter. We DID OUR BEST! We fought harder then anyone could EVER imagine,” a Goncalves family statement said.

“One day we will tell you all what we have really been through from day one. You will all be shocked. We fought a long battle, but we lost the war.”

When news of the plea deal first broke, the family expressed their anger in an earlier statement and described the update as “unexpected”.

“It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us,” the family said.

“Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.”

‘I refuse to stay silent’

Kaylee’s sister Aubrie Goncalves, 18, wrote her own impassioned statement, saying she was unable to attend the meeting with prosecutors herself but refuses to stay silent.

“The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” she said.

“Had this proposal come a year and a half ago, the families could have had time to process, discuss, and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence — however difficult that may be. We could have had the time to understand it, to prepare for it emotionally, and perhaps even to find some degree of peace.

“But now, with mere weeks left, we are being asked to absorb and respond to life-altering decisions with no room to breathe.”

Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. Picture: Instagram

Aubrie slammed “constant delays” and “relocation of proceedings” throughout the case.

She said despite this they had continued to put their faith in the justice system, until now — claiming it “is impossible not to acknowledge” that the system had “failed these four innocent victims and their families”.

“Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world. Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever,” she said.

“That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims’ pasts.

“The justice system was created to serve and protect — not to retraumatize grieving families. And yet, time and time again, we find ourselves blindsided, unheard, and unsupported. This last-minute plea deal feels less like an act of justice and more like an afterthought.

“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.”

November 13, 2022: Four students killed

In the early hours of November 13, 2022, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were sleeping in Madison’s bed on the third floor, while Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were in Xana’s room on the second floor of their off-campus Moscow home. All four were stabbed to death.

It wasn’t until weeks later on December 30, 2022, that Kohberger was arrested.

One of the surviving housemates said she saw a man in a black mask and “bushy eyebrows” leaving through the back door.

That testimony was backed up by audio of the gut-wrenching 911 call made by the surviving housemates to emergency services, which was made public for the very first time in March.

“Hi … Something happened here, something happened in our house and we don’t know what,” a frantic young woman told the 911 dispatcher in the audio obtained by KXLY Spokane and published by the New York Post.

The caller then explained, between sobs, that one of the housemates was “passed out” and “she’s not waking up.”

“And they saw some man in their house last night,” another friend continued.

The site of the quadruple murder seen on January 3, 2023. Picture: David Ryder/Getty Images/AFP

The phone was passed between three to four different people, understood to be the two surviving housemates, a female friend and another man.

The callers were heard weeping, stammering, and forcing the dispatcher to repeatedly ask for their address and other key details.

“I need to know right now if someone is passed out! Can you find that out?” the dispatcher asked.

“What’s wrong? She’s not waking up!” a young woman answered in the chaos.

A police officer arrived shortly after and the call concluded.

Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, told NewsNation that he felt the 911 call did not give him any greater understanding of the horror of what unfolded that night.

“Your brain wants to gravitate to ‘make this make more sense,’” he told the outlet.

“But the truth is, murder never makes sense. This is a psychopathic person who does something that breaks the norm.”

Kohberger’s lawyers wanted to keep the 911 call away from the jury, dismissing it as “hearsay.”

In a blitz of suppression motions, defenders also asked the court to disqualify, for various technical reasons, security camera recordings that showed a car similar to Kohberger’s near the crime scene, DNA samples on a knife sheath left at the scene, and more DNA found under a victim’s fingernails.

— with Jasmine Kazlauskas