BREAKING NEWS: BRYAN KOHBERGER PLEA DEAL

Accused quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger has accepted a plea deal in the deaths of four University of Idaho students. A court hearing will be held Wednesday for Kohberger's change of plea. And the outrage from Idaho stabbing victim's families over Bryan Kohberger plea dea is heartbreaking

Kohberger, 30, is accused of killing Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in a 4 a.m. home invasion attack on Nov. 13, 2022. As part of his plea, he will apparently not have to explain himself or answer why he committed the crimes as part of the deal, according to a source close to the case.

The families feel victimized all over again and might never know what really happened the night of the murders,

Joining Nancy Grace today, 

• Philip Dubé - Former Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law, Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy
• Dr. John Delatorre - Licensed psychologist and mediator, specializing in forensic psychology, psychological consultant to Project Absents: a non-profit organization that searches for missing persons, resolutionfcs.com, Twitter, IG, and TikTok: @drjohndelatorre ;
• Sheryl McCollum- Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder, ColdCaseCrimes.org, Host of new podcast: Zone 7, Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Chris McDonough -Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, Worked over 300 Homicides in 25 year career, Trained the first Native American Homicide Task Force; & Host of YouTube channel, "The Interview Room" www.coldcasefoundation.org/chris-mcdonough ; 
• Dr. Kendall Crowns- Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), NEW Podcast --- launching soon, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
• Howard Blum - Author: "When The Night Comes Falling, A Requiem for The Idaho Student Murders", website: Howardblum.com INSTA: howard_blum_author TW/X: howardblum 
• Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan", @JoScottForensic,  
• Dave Mack- Crime Stories Investigative Reporter,

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime alart hourly update, breaking crime news Now, I'm Jennifer Gould.
In a stunning development that sent shock waves across the nation,
Brian Coberger, the man accused of savagely stabbing four University
of Idaho's students in November of twenty twenty two, has
accepted a plea deal that spares him from the death penalty.

(00:22):
The agreement ensures the former criminology PhD student will spend
the rest of his life behind bars without any possibility
of parole. Coburger, thirty, was charged with four counts of
first degree murder and one count of burglary in the
brutal deaths of Madison Mogan twenty one, Kaylee Gonsalvez twenty one,

(00:44):
Xana Kernodle twenty and Ethan Chape in twenty The four
students were found with fatal stab wounds in their off
campus Moscow, Idaho rental home during the early morning hours
of November thirteenth, twenty twenty two. Investigators believe they were
at between three am and five am, likely while sleeping,

(01:04):
with no signs of sexual assault reported by the coroner.
This dramatic plea deal comes just weeks before Coburger's highly
anticipated trial was set to begin on August fourth, with
opening statements set for August eighteenth. The timing is particularly
significant given recent setbacks for the defense. Judge Stephen Hipler

(01:26):
recently dealt a critical blow to Coburger's legal team, rejecting
their alternate perpetrator theory, which attempted to implicate four other individuals.
The judge dismissed the theory as quote wild speculation end quote,
emphasizing the complete lack of evidence connecting those individuals to
the gruesome crime scene. Hippler also denied a defense request

(01:49):
to delay the trial, despite claims of slow discovery and
intense public scrutiny threatening a fair trial, Prosecutors have meticulously
built a compelling case against Coburger. Their evidence includes crucial
DNA linking him directly to the crime scene, as well
as chilling surveillance footage that captured a car matching his

(02:12):
white Hyundai a Lantra near the victim's home around the
very time of the murders. A door dash driver who
made a delivery to Kernodle's residence just hours before the
horrific killings was prepared to testify, claiming she saw Coburger nearby. Furthermore,
surveillance data allegedly placed Coburger's phone near the crime scene

(02:34):
multiple times in the weeks leading up to the murders.
The case has drawn immense national and international media attention
since Coburger's arrest at his parents' Pennsylvania home on December thirtieth,
twenty twenty two, over a month after the killings. His defense,
led by Ann Taylor, has faced numerous hurdles, including failed

(02:55):
attempts to suppress the damning DNA evidence. This sudden plea
deal marks a pivotal and shocking turn in one of
Idaho's most high profile and disturbing murder cases, providing a
definitive end to the courtroom battle, but leaving lingering questions
for some as to the motive. A court hearing for

(03:16):
a change of plea will be held on Wednesday. For
the latest crime of justice news, follow the Crime Alert
hourly update on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert.
I'm Jennifer Gould.