Bryan Kohberger updates: Judge sentences Idaho killer to life, 1st police reports released
Bryan Kohberger declined to speak at the sentencing hearing.
Families of the University of Idaho murder victims directly addressed the admitted killer, Bryan Kohberger, at his sentencing on Wednesday.
One of the surviving roommates also gave an emotional statement, speaking out for the first time.
Judge Steven Hippler acknowledged Kohberger's motive may never be known as he sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count.
The students -- roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin -- were stabbed to death at the girls' off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022. On July 2, weeks before the trial was set to start, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all counts. As a part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.
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Kaylee Goncalves’ mom: ‘Hell will be waiting’
Kaylee’s mom, Kristi Goncalves, said to Bryan Kohberger that “hell will be waiting.”
“You are nothing. May you continue to live your life in misery. You are officially the property of the state of Idaho, where your fellow inmates are anxiously awaiting your arrival,” she said.
Kaylee Goncalves’ sister: They 'were not yours to take'
Kaylee’s sister, Alivea Goncalves, said to Bryan Kohberger, “My sister Kaylee and her best friend Maddie were not yours to take. They were not yours to study, to stalk or to silence.”
“They’re everything you could never be: loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful,” she said.
"They would've been kind to you. If you had approached them in their everyday lives, they would've given you directions, thanked you for the compliment. ... In a world that rejected you, they would've shown mercy," she said.
Goncalves said she "won't stand here and give you want you want": tears and trembling.
She called him a "sociopath, psychopath, murderer," before asking him a series of questions.
Her questions included, "Where is the murder weapon, the clothes you wore that night? What did you bring into the house with you? ... What were Kaylee's last words?"
"You didn't win. ... You're a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else," she said.
"You aren't special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. Don't ever get it twisted again. No one is scared of you today. No one is intimidated by you, no one is impressed by you, no one thinks you are important," she said.
She concluded her statement by saying to Kohberger, if he hadn’t attacked them in their sleep, “Kaylee would’ve kicked your f------ ass."
Onlookers in the courtroom clapped when Goncalves stepped down.
Kaylee Goncalves’ dad: ‘From this moment, we will forget you'
Steve Goncalves, dad of Kaylee Goncalves, said in court to Bryan Kohberger, "Today we are here to finish what you started. Today you’ve lost control.”
“Your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you,” he said.
Goncalves slammed Kohberger as "foolish and stupid" for leaving his DNA behind at the crime scene. "Master's degree? You're a joke, a complete joke," he said.
"Nobody cares about you. ... From this moment, we will forget you. ... You picked the wrong family and we're laughing at you on your trip" to prison, he said.
Maddie Mogen’s dad reads her last Father’s Day card
Maddie Mogen’s dad, Ben Mogen, was choked up in court as he said, “Maddie was my only child. … I thought we would have the rest of our lives together to be together and know each other, and I really took her for granted.”
“Karen and Scottie did such a great job raising her after Karen and I split up, and I’m so thankful for Scottie and the role he played in her life when I wasn’t able to,” he said, recalling his battle with addiction. “But we got to spend a lot of great times together, Maddie and I. She was my favorite person to go to a concert with.”
Mogen read in court the last thing Maddie wrote to him -- a Father’s Day card: “I hope you have the best day, I can’t wait ‘til we can hang out again soon. … I love the birthday card you sent me, by the way. … I hope you’re doing well. I’m proud of how far you’ve come. Thank you for always encouraging me to do my best. Love you lots and lots.”
“I’m so glad I still have it,” he said of the card.