Bryan Kohberger plea deal: Victim families furious over no death penalty
Families of murdered Idaho students react to Kohberger plea deal
The families of the University of Idaho students killed in 2022 are "furious" over Bryan Kohberger taking a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
BOISE, Idaho - The families of the University of Idaho students killed in 2022 are furious over Bryan Kohberger taking a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The backstory:
Bryan Kohberger will plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder to spare his life and instead serve four life sentences. However, some family members of his alleged victims are speaking out.
Kohberger, 30, is charged in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho on Nov. 13, 2022.
The family of Kaylee Goncalves is "furious" at the State of Idaho, saying they "failed" them. The Goncalves family wanted Kohberger to face a jury, where a conviction would have been enough to warrant the death penalty.
via Goncalves Family Page on FB
Dig deeper:
Additionally, an aunt of Xana Kernodle said she didn't want a possible plea deal in the case, claiming she rejected an offer from prosecutors to "spare the families" the pain of a trial, TMZ reported.
On the "Goncalves Family Page" on Facebook, it's stated that the plea deal was introduced just weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin, calling it both "shocking and cruel."
A statement from the Goncalves family says there was no appropriate notice about the plea deal to the murder victims’ families, having only received an email with an attached letter, not even a phone call.
Bryan Kohberger trial delayed by a week
The trial of Bryan Kohberger, accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, is postponed to August 18.
What they're saying:
The full statement from the Goncalves family reads:
"The death penalty is merely an illusion in the criminal justice system. When available, it serves as a bargaining tool for the State, and when rarely applied, it’s never enforced due to a highly inefficient appellate process. The notion that someone can plead guilty to a crime and still face years of appellate delays reveals a systemic failure. The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office’s treatment of our family during this process is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. We questioned decisions early in the investigation: why was the mayor commenting on the case? Why was the coroner speaking to families? Why was an officer with less than two years’ experience leading the investigation? Why was the University of Idaho involved when they declared it an isolated off-campus incident? Why was the University permitted to write a book about the incident while others were silenced under an overly broad order? As a result, we were branded adversaries. So, it was no shock how the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office mishandled the plea deal. They vaguely mentioned a possible plea on Friday, without seeking our input, and presented the plea on Sunday. Latah County should be ashamed of its Prosecutor’s Office. Four wonderful young people lost their lives, yet the victims’ families were treated as opponents from the outset. We weren’t even called about the plea; we received an email with a letter attached. 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. Who do they think they are? After more than two years, this is how it concludes with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims’ families on the plea’s details. Our family is frustrated right now and that will subside and we will come together as always and deal with the reality that we face moving forward. Once again we thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers!"
A hearing on Wednesday will likely be when a judge will make a decision regarding Kohberger's plea deal.
The Source: Information in this story came from TMZ, the Goncalves Family Page on Facebook, a statement from the Goncalves family and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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