August 27, 2025 • 29 mins
In July 2025, the families of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin finally faced convicted killer Bryan Kohberger in court. In powerful victim impact statements, they spoke of grief, fury, and resilience—while the world waited to see if Kohberger would break his silence and explain why.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
What happened that night changed everything because of him.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
This was Brian Kolberger's legal funeral.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
No one is scared of you today. No one is
intimidated by you, no one is impressed by you. No
one thinks that you are important.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
And anytime you want to talk and tell me what happened,
I'm here. I'll be that one that'll listen to you. Okay.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
This is the Idaho Massacre a production of KAT Studios
and iHeartRadio, Season three, Episode two, sentencing I'm Courtney Armstrong,
a producer at KAT Studios, with Stephanie Leideger and Gabriel Castillo.
On July twenty third, twenty twenty five, for the first
(00:57):
time in nearly three years, the family's and friends of Madison, Mogen,
Kaylee Gonsalvez, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were finally given
the opportunity to confront the man who had been accused
and who now admitted to murdering their loved ones in
cold blood.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
He chose destruction, he chose evil. He feels nothing.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
It was an emotional day in court. The gallery was
packed and the atmosphere was tense. One by one, family
members stood and spoke directly to Brian Coberger. Some shared beautiful,
heartbreaking memories, others unleashed years of grief and anger, and
through it all, the room was filled with tears, silence,
(01:47):
and sometimes stunning moments of strength.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
You tried to divide us. You failed. Instead, your actions
have united everyone in their disgust for you.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
Coburger sat just feed away, his face, expressionless, his posture still.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I won't stand here and give you what you want.
I won't offer you tears, I won't offer you trembling
disappointments like you thrive on pain, on fear, and on
the illusion of power, and I won't feed your beast.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
And throughout the entire proceeding there was one question on
everyone's mind. Would he speak, would he explain why he
did it? Would he apologize? It was a final, resounding judgment,
but still there was one thing everyone was waiting for.
(02:43):
Here's long crime journalist Anjeanette Levy speaking with one of
our producers, Alison Bankston, talk.
Speaker 7 (02:52):
To me about sentencing next. I know you were there
as well. That was a very emotional day, that was
very powerful to watch.
Speaker 8 (03:00):
Is incredibly heavy. When we walked in, Brian Coburger was
wearing an orange jail jumpsuit. We fully expected that his
presumption of innocence no longer exists. And he's sitting there
in all orange and in handcuffs. He looked a little
more pale, a little more gaunt.
Speaker 7 (03:18):
Did he seemed nervous up there at all, you know,
fitman with his hands like what was his vibe like?
Speaker 8 (03:22):
Brian Coburger looked like he was kind of stealing himself
for what was coming. And he was clenching his jaw
at times, and at times he would kind of poke
his tongue to the side.
Speaker 9 (03:33):
Of his cheek.
Speaker 8 (03:34):
You could tell he was in some respects bracing himself
for what was coming. He knew the victim impact statements
were coming.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Here's Judge Stephen Hipler in the courtroom at sentencing.
Speaker 10 (03:47):
All right, so with that, let's start with an impact statements.
Speaker 11 (03:51):
Go ahead to jinks, your honor.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
We will have Bethany Funko's statement, and she has asked
that her friend Emilia Lot read that up statement very well.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Bethany funk was one of the surviving roommates. Her room
was on the bottom floor and she did not come
into contact with Brian Coberger.
Speaker 11 (04:19):
My name is Bethany Funk, and I was roommates with Mattie, Kaylee, Xanna,
and Ethan. I not only lost some of my best friends,
but I also lost a sister. Our house was not
just a house, It was a home. It was where
we left till we couldn't breathe make meals, did crafts, binge,
watch reality shows, played games, and spent lazy days on
(04:39):
the couch. It was movie nights, wine nights, morning to brieves, pranks,
hot chocolate, cookies, and warmth. Which here is those memories forever,
and I will not let what happened erase how special
our home was or how much of those memories meant
to me. Xanna was one in a million. She was
the life of a party, but she was also the
(05:00):
kindest and funniest person I knew. Kayleie had the most beautiful,
radiant smile.
Speaker 12 (05:05):
She was so kind but also one of the funniest
people I've ever known. I really believed that she could
have ruled the world if she wanted to, and she
would have been America's sweetheart. Ethan was the sweetest, most
genuine guy. Ethan was the kind of person you wanted
around and the way he cared for Zanna.
Speaker 11 (05:22):
It was truly something to admire and really was proof
that storybook love and true romances really do exist. Mattie
was not only one of my best friends, but she
was the older sister I would have always wanted. There
was no one I looked up to or admired more
than Mattie. She was truly a ray of sunshine and
(05:44):
everyone was drawn to her. I hope that they are
remembered for who they are and not what happened to them,
because who they are were so beautiful and they deserve
to be remembered in the highest way.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Here's Stephanie with Crime Analyst Body Movie.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Then we didn't even know these girls and Ethan right,
we didn't know them. We didn't of course, we're not
connected to them in any way. But you know, over
the course of the last two and a half years,
we've ever really learned about how special these people were
that were murdered, and we all feel just tremendously sad.
And you know who else I was really proud of Dylan. Dylan,
(06:20):
if you don't know, she's the surviving roommate. She almost
I'm gonna get emotional and good, We're like a this
is like this is really she saw Brian Coberger. She
described him to police. Luckily was spared, thank god. And
she walked into court and she asked to sit. And
I was so appreciative that Bill Thompson kind of like
(06:43):
scooted it over a little bit. He's the prosecutor, kind
of scooted over a little bit so to block Brian
Coberger from viewing her or her from viewing him. And
she spoke, and she told her truth.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
What happened that night changed everything because of him. For beautiful, genuine,
compassionate people were taken from this world for no reason.
He didn't just take them from the world. He took
(07:19):
them from me, My friends, my people who felt like
my home, the people I looked up to and adorn
more than anyone. He took away my ability to trust
the world around me. What he had shattered me in
places I didn't know could break. I'm gonna be alone.
(07:41):
I had to sleep in my mom's bed because I
was too terrified to close my eyes, terrified that if
I blinked someone might be there. I made escape plans
everywhere I went. If something happens, how do I get out?
What can I use to defend myself. Who can help?
And then there are the panic attacks, the guy that
(08:03):
slam into me like a tsunami out of nowhere. I
can't breathe, I can't think, I can't stop shaking. All
I can do is scream because the emotional pain and
the grief is too much to handle. They say I'm
a survivor, but I don't know how heavy it is
to carry so much pain and still be expected to
(08:25):
keep going. And that's because of him. He is a
hollow vessel, something less than human, a body without empathy,
without remorse. He chose destruction, He chows evil, he feels nothing.
He tried to take everything from me, my friends, my safety,
(08:48):
my identity, my future. Living is how I honor them.
Speaking today is to help me find some sort of
justice for them, and I will never let him take
that from me.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
To confront Brian Coberger after she came so close to
being his victim and he walked right by her, that's
like massively traumatic. Her life is completely changed from this.
She's only twenty one now. This woman is going to
need counseling for many, many, many years. And the only
person responsible for this is Brian Coberger, And that's what
(09:26):
victim impact statements are supposed to be. They're supposed to
tell the judge, this is how my life has been
affected by this happening, and this person deserves an enormous sentence.
Ben Mogan's impact statement was particularly hard to listen to,
specifically because of his troubled past and how Maddie helped him.
It's just tragic.
Speaker 13 (09:48):
Maddie was my only child that I never had. Most
She's the only great thing I ever really did and
I only think I are you ever proud of? And
I went through a lot of issues with addiction and
with with substance abuse, and when I wasn't wanting to
(10:14):
live anymore, she was what would keep me here from
just not caring anymore, and knowing that she was out
there and that she was just such a beautiful person
kept me alive a lot of rough moments, and I'll
never be able to They placed her.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
Now, let's stop here for a break. We'll be back
in a moment here again. Long crime journalist Anjeanette Levy
with producer Alice in Bankston.
Speaker 7 (10:58):
I'm curious seem like this any of this was registering
for Brian, you know, you had a good view of him.
How was he reacting to these emotional victim impact statements.
Speaker 8 (11:08):
As some of the other family members spoke. You know,
it's like he is this even affecting him? Is it
upsetting him? Is he somebody who actually feels anything? He
was called evil? I mean, he was called all kinds
of things. And what struck me was when Scott Laramie
Matti Mogan's stepfathers talked about the need to have evil
locked away, he almost nodded in agreement, Brian Coberger did.
Speaker 14 (11:35):
Matty was taken senselessly and brutally in a sudden act
of evil. We know the law allows us to comment
on the defendant and his sentence. We support the plea agreement.
Society needs to be protected against this evil.
Speaker 8 (11:53):
So it makes you wonder does Brian Coburger, you know,
does he have the ability to reflect and realize I
am a really damaged human being? Like is he that
introspective and does he have the ability to see that
you know what, I am evil and I do need
to be locked away forever. I mean, because it was
(12:16):
almost like a It's an ever so slight nod in agreement.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
Here's Stephanie and crime analyst Body Moven. They're joined by
former homicide prosecutor Jarrett Farentino. Farantino is a season trial
attorney who's prosecuted some of the most complex and high
stakes cases in the country, including multiple death penalty trials.
Speaker 15 (12:45):
As victim statements go, I mean, listen, we've all been
in courtrooms. I mean, obviously you've been in more than
any of us combined. But you know, victim statements, to
your point is very powerful. But what's your response to
how he behaved?
Speaker 16 (13:00):
Ryan Kolberger is dead behind the eyes seeing him in
those prison clothes again, seeing how pale he was, I mean,
he looked like a psychopath.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
That's a really great observation, because you know what he is,
detached and devoid of emotion.
Speaker 15 (13:15):
Is a psychopath at its core. They do not feel
the same emotion that the rest.
Speaker 13 (13:19):
Of us do.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Is I want to say, And I don't know, maybe
this is just what I want to think, but I
want to say, Olivia, it was really the only reaction
he had all day was to her words.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
My name is Olivia and I'm the big sister of
Kaylee Gonzalvez, and I was blessed to love Madison Mogan
as a sister too. I'm not here today to speak
in grief. I'm here to speak in truth because the
truth is, my sister, Kayley and her best friend Mattie
were not yours to take. They were not yours to study,
to stalk, or to silence. They were two pieces of
(13:56):
a whole, the perfect yin and yang. They are everything
that you could never be loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave
and powerful. Because the truth about Kayley and Mattie is
they would have been kind to you if you would
approach them in their everyday lives. They would have given
you directions, thanked you for the compliment, or awkwardly giggled
(14:20):
to make your own words less uncomfortable for you in
a world that rejected you. They would have shown mercy.
I won't offer you tears, I won't offer you trembling
disappointments like you thrive on pain, on fear, and on
the illusion of power, and I won't feed your beast.
Speaker 11 (14:40):
Instead, I will.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Call you what you are, sociopath, psychopath, murderer. I will
ask the questions that reverberate violently in my own head,
so loudly that I can't think straight most any day.
Some of these might be familiar.
Speaker 11 (15:00):
So sit up straight.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
When I talked to you, how was your life right
before you murdered my sisters? Did you prepare for the
crime before leaving your apartment? Please detail what you were
thinking and feeling at this time? Why did you choose
my sisters before making your move? Did you approach my sisters?
Do you tell what you were thinking and feeling before
(15:22):
leaving their home? Is there anything else you did? What
were Kaylee's last words?
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Her poise was unbelievable, her telling the murderer sit up
straight when I talked.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
To you, Yes, did you tell what you were thinking
and feeling before leaving the home? And she was doing
these things because of the Reddit survey Brian Coberger did
exactly she was. She was mimicking him, and I loved
it because it's like it's an inside thing, right.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
And it doesn't know what that is.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
You know.
Speaker 15 (15:57):
Something that we always thought was very interesting and troubling
was that when Brian Coberger was getting his you know,
PhD in Criminology, smarty pants that he is, he had
done this really strange survey where he sent out questions
to prisoners asking very specific questions that were kind of daunting,
I mean in retrospects, like straight up scary, horrifying in
(16:20):
a real tell. And those questions are what Kaylee Gonzalveez,
his sister basically repeated back to him in jest. And
it was really a total masterclass.
Speaker 16 (16:31):
She was mocking him. She started off by saying, you're
a psychopath. You're a sociopath. Then she proceeds to mock him.
And narcissism is you know, he's a narcissist, and she's
saying to him, you have no power over me. Here
I am another young, beautiful woman looking in the face
telling you how small you are.
Speaker 9 (16:51):
No.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
What else I really love was when Steve Gonsalvez, the
father one of the victims, Yes, got up there, so
the podium was sort of facing the judge. Okay, he
physically turned the podium very abruptly, I might add, to
face Brian Coberger and he was literally talking directly to him.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Today, we are here to finish what you started today.
You've lost control.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Today.
Speaker 6 (17:22):
We are here to prove to the world that you
pick the wrong families, wrong state, the wrong police officers,
the wrong community. You tried to break our community apart.
You tried to plant fear, You tried to divide us.
Speaker 10 (17:38):
You failed.
Speaker 6 (17:39):
Looking back, when the police officers knocked on my door,
told me what happened to my child, told me what
happened to Mattie May. I don't think he was even
out of the driveway before my kids turned around, looked
at me and said what do we do?
Speaker 17 (17:51):
Dad?
Speaker 6 (17:52):
I told him you get to work, You get your
ass to work. And we started calling, We started texting,
we started emailing, and you know what, within hours, within hours,
we had your white car on a camera. We knew,
we knew from the very beginning, we had you. Police
officers tell us, within minutes, they had your DNA like
(18:15):
a calling card. You were that careless, that foolish, that's stupid,
Master degree, You're a joke, complete joke.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
And he just lays it out. You're a joke. And
the only thing you've done is unite people in our
vendetta against you. And he presented this really great united
front from all of the victims' families. They're all united.
They might disagree on certain things like the death penalty,
(18:51):
for instance, but they are all united in their disdain
for him.
Speaker 15 (18:57):
Can you imagine the actional level of grace for the
actual family members. It's really just a testament to the
human spirit, and you know, just as a reminder of
the stuff that we all complain about, our stress about,
or we get stirred up, and then you hear these
incredible humans and they have this fortitude to push on
(19:20):
and to see a better day ahead.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Xanna Kernodle's aunt, Kim stood out to me in a
particular way.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
My name is Kim Karnodle. I'm Xana's aunt. It's very
blessed to have her in my life, in our family.
And I thought I had everything in my head what
I wanted to say, but it kind of went out
and I try. I'm I'm always looking for the positive
thing because evil hate can destroy people, and that's what
(19:59):
it started doing with our family. Bran, I'm here today
to tell you I have forgiven you because I no
longer could live with that hate in my heart and
for me to become a better person.
Speaker 18 (20:14):
I have forgiven you.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
And anytime you want to talk and tell me what
happened yet my number. I'm here no judgment because I
do have questions that I want you to answer and
I'm here. I'll be that one that'll listen to you.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Let's stop here for a break. We'll be back in
a moment here again, Journalist angrenatte Levy from the Law
on Crime Network.
Speaker 8 (20:49):
I was shocked when Xana's aunt said she had forgiven
him and she wanted answers and that he could call
her any time. There isn't no contact order, but still,
I mean, wow, I thought that very powerful. And he
just sat there, you know, he just sat there. He
does not deserve the grace that she offered him.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Ethan Chapin's family did not attend Brian Coberger's sentencing hearing. Instead,
they chose to spend the day together as a family.
A few days later, they released a statement thanking law
enforcement for their hard work and honoring their son and brother. Quote,
from the time you were a baby to when we
dropped you off at college, you were an absolute joy
(21:31):
and the glue that held our family together. We love you,
miss you, and promise to continue honoring your legacy. On
July twenty third, twenty twenty five, after several powerful, heart
wrenching victim impact statements, the air inside the courtroom was
(21:53):
thick with anticipation, Friends, family members, and members of the
public sat in absolute silence. They were waiting to see
if admitted killer Brian Coburger would finally speak, Would he,
at long last, reveal why, any kind of motive, any
(22:13):
sort of reason for the brutal, unthinkable murders of Madison,
Mogen Kayleie Gonsalvez, Xanakernodle, and Ethan Shapin. Just three weeks earlier,
at his plea hearing, Coburger had said almost nothing, And
for the grieving family members, for friends, for the public,
it felt like a slap in the face. Still, there
(22:35):
was hope. There was hope that just maybe sentencing would
be different. Would he offer any reason that might help
these families make sense of the senseless and begin to heal,
or would the questions, mystery and pain continue to linger
unanswered forever. Here's Judge Stephen Hipler in the courtroom.
Speaker 18 (22:59):
Him, mister Coburger, you have an opportunity to make a
statement if you wish to.
Speaker 9 (23:02):
I take it you were declining.
Speaker 16 (23:05):
I respectfully declined.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Here's Stephanie Leideker with crime analyst Body Movin and former
homicide prosecutor Jarrett Farantino, he.
Speaker 15 (23:18):
Was asked this, and his quote was, I respectfully decline.
I almost threw the television again.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
What were you expecting? Though I was expecting. I'm so sorry.
Oh my gosh, No, that is not who BK is.
I know it's so hard to demand him to be
normal because he's not.
Speaker 15 (23:35):
Why was there no elocution? Why did he not have
to speak?
Speaker 16 (23:39):
Well, he just doesn't have to. I hate to set
the answer. He doesn't have to. The prosecutor could not
have forced him to do that. He could have leveraged
that and made that request and made it a condition
of the plea. But you cannot compel a factual elocution
of that nature.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Could Bill Thompson has said something like this. Could he
have said, we're going to take the death penalty off
the table and give you life in prison, but you
have to tell us where the knife is, tell us
where the murder weapon is, and if we go dig
it up and it ain't there, you're not getting the deal.
Could they have done something like something like that?
Speaker 11 (24:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 17 (24:17):
Right, I think so he could have.
Speaker 16 (24:19):
The thing is he did. Bill Thompson was saying in
his press conference afterwards, we saw an opportunity to resolve
the case and the litigation, not through the trial. And
he specifically said we wouldn't have believed what he said anyway.
Speaker 15 (24:35):
Who is he to decide that though, But you don't
have to believe him.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
If he tells you where the knife is and you
go dig it up and stare, then you know he's
telling the truth. What does it matter if he's lying
or not?
Speaker 17 (24:42):
Like you know, he could have asked that, and he
had leverage at that point because you didn't agree to
the deal and Culberger's life still hung in the balance,
and say, all right, Brian, you want us to take
the extreme step.
Speaker 16 (24:54):
Of taking death off the table, you've got to give
us something other than saying you did this. So you've
got to tell us why, how, where? What are we missing? Exactly?
Do that. He's trying to take some of the sensationalism
out of this. I'm describing as a very by the
book prosecutor. He only wants enough details out to secure
(25:15):
the conviction and move on. He's really trying to downplay this,
and that's not a rub against him. That's a style,
that's an.
Speaker 17 (25:22):
Approach to this.
Speaker 16 (25:24):
I don't see that. It's just not effective in this
type of a case, you have to kind of just
ride a wave a little bit and say, look, the
demand of the public. They really want to know some
of these details. Stop holding back.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
Here's Judge Stephen Hipler in the courtroom defending the prosecution's decision.
Speaker 10 (25:45):
As we sit here today, this case is ending, and
we are now certain who committed these unspeakable acts of evil,
But we don't know, and what we may never know
is why. I share the desire expressed by others to
understand and the why.
Speaker 18 (26:01):
But upon reflection, it seems to me, and this is
just my own opinion, that by continuing to focus on why,
we continue to give mister Coburger relevance, we give him
agency and we give him power. Yet, even if I
could force him to speak, which legally I cannot, how
could anyone ever be assured that what he speaks is
the truth?
Speaker 9 (26:22):
Do we really believe after all of this he's capable
of speaking the truth or of giving up something of
himself to help the very people whose lives he destroyed. Rather,
I suspect the so called reason would be dished out
in enticing, self serving and aggrandizing, untruthful bits, leaving people
wanting more information, more insight, and this enhancing even further
(26:45):
the power he seeks to hold. Even if we could
get truthful insight into his why, I suspected, would not
in any way quench one's thirst for actually understanding why
in the first instance, because there is no reason for
these crimes that could approach anything resembling rationality, No conceivable
(27:05):
reason could make any sense. And in the end, the
more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the
more we try to extract a reason, the more power
and control we give to him. In my view, the
time has now calm to end mister Coberger's fifteen minutes
of fame. It's time that he'd be consigned to the
(27:27):
ignominy and isolation of perpetual incarceration.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
At the end of the hearing, Judge Hitler delivered the
sentence for consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Coburger also waived his right to appeal. Brian Coberger was
led out of the courtroom, his hands and feet clinking
with shackles and chains. Deputies escorted him down a secure
hallway into a waiting transport van. His final destination the
(28:00):
Idaho Maximum Security institution, a place he will never leave,
and that very night something else happened.
Speaker 18 (28:10):
After Wednesday's hearing, the Moscow Police Department released more than
three hundred documents related to the case.
Speaker 17 (28:15):
The documents reveal unsettling new details about the weeks leading
up to the murders.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
For many, this was their first glimpse behind the scenes.
For others, it was a chance to search for answers,
to find even the smallest clue that might explain the
questions still hanging over this entire case. Why Why did
Brian Coberger take four innocent lives? In search of answers?
We're going inside those documents. More on that next time.
(28:48):
For more information on the case and relevant photos, follow
us on Instagram at kat Underscore Studios. The Idaho Massacres
produced by Stephanie Leideker, Alison Bankston, Gabriel Castillo and me
Courtney Armstrong. Editing and sound design by Jeff Toois, Music
by Jared Aston. The Idaho Masacre is a production of
(29:10):
Katie's Studios and iHeartRadio. For more podcasts like this, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
What happened that night changed everything because of him.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
This was Brian Kolberger's legal funeral.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
No one is scared of you today. No one is
intimidated by you, no one is impressed by you. No
one thinks that you are important.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
And anytime you want to talk and tell me what happened,
I'm here. I'll be that one that'll listen to you. Okay.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
This is the Idaho Massacre a production of KAT Studios
and iHeartRadio, Season three, Episode two, sentencing I'm Courtney Armstrong,
a producer at KAT Studios, with Stephanie Leideger and Gabriel Castillo.
On July twenty third, twenty twenty five, for the first
(00:57):
time in nearly three years, the family's and friends of Madison, Mogen,
Kaylee Gonsalvez, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were finally given
the opportunity to confront the man who had been accused
and who now admitted to murdering their loved ones in
cold blood.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
He chose destruction, he chose evil. He feels nothing.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
It was an emotional day in court. The gallery was
packed and the atmosphere was tense. One by one, family
members stood and spoke directly to Brian Coberger. Some shared beautiful,
heartbreaking memories, others unleashed years of grief and anger, and
through it all, the room was filled with tears, silence,
(01:47):
and sometimes stunning moments of strength.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
You tried to divide us. You failed. Instead, your actions
have united everyone in their disgust for you.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
Coburger sat just feed away, his face, expressionless, his posture still.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I won't stand here and give you what you want.
I won't offer you tears, I won't offer you trembling
disappointments like you thrive on pain, on fear, and on
the illusion of power, and I won't feed your beast.
Speaker 5 (02:22):
And throughout the entire proceeding there was one question on
everyone's mind. Would he speak, would he explain why he
did it? Would he apologize? It was a final, resounding judgment,
but still there was one thing everyone was waiting for.
(02:43):
Here's long crime journalist Anjeanette Levy speaking with one of
our producers, Alison Bankston, talk.
Speaker 7 (02:52):
To me about sentencing next. I know you were there
as well. That was a very emotional day, that was
very powerful to watch.
Speaker 8 (03:00):
Is incredibly heavy. When we walked in, Brian Coburger was
wearing an orange jail jumpsuit. We fully expected that his
presumption of innocence no longer exists. And he's sitting there
in all orange and in handcuffs. He looked a little
more pale, a little more gaunt.
Speaker 7 (03:18):
Did he seemed nervous up there at all, you know,
fitman with his hands like what was his vibe like?
Speaker 8 (03:22):
Brian Coburger looked like he was kind of stealing himself
for what was coming. And he was clenching his jaw
at times, and at times he would kind of poke
his tongue to the side.
Speaker 9 (03:33):
Of his cheek.
Speaker 8 (03:34):
You could tell he was in some respects bracing himself
for what was coming. He knew the victim impact statements
were coming.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Here's Judge Stephen Hipler in the courtroom at sentencing.
Speaker 10 (03:47):
All right, so with that, let's start with an impact statements.
Speaker 11 (03:51):
Go ahead to jinks, your honor.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
We will have Bethany Funko's statement, and she has asked
that her friend Emilia Lot read that up statement very well.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Bethany funk was one of the surviving roommates. Her room
was on the bottom floor and she did not come
into contact with Brian Coberger.
Speaker 11 (04:19):
My name is Bethany Funk, and I was roommates with Mattie, Kaylee, Xanna,
and Ethan. I not only lost some of my best friends,
but I also lost a sister. Our house was not
just a house, It was a home. It was where
we left till we couldn't breathe make meals, did crafts, binge,
watch reality shows, played games, and spent lazy days on
(04:39):
the couch. It was movie nights, wine nights, morning to brieves, pranks,
hot chocolate, cookies, and warmth. Which here is those memories forever,
and I will not let what happened erase how special
our home was or how much of those memories meant
to me. Xanna was one in a million. She was
the life of a party, but she was also the
(05:00):
kindest and funniest person I knew. Kayleie had the most beautiful,
radiant smile.
Speaker 12 (05:05):
She was so kind but also one of the funniest
people I've ever known. I really believed that she could
have ruled the world if she wanted to, and she
would have been America's sweetheart. Ethan was the sweetest, most
genuine guy. Ethan was the kind of person you wanted
around and the way he cared for Zanna.
Speaker 11 (05:22):
It was truly something to admire and really was proof
that storybook love and true romances really do exist. Mattie
was not only one of my best friends, but she
was the older sister I would have always wanted. There
was no one I looked up to or admired more
than Mattie. She was truly a ray of sunshine and
(05:44):
everyone was drawn to her. I hope that they are
remembered for who they are and not what happened to them,
because who they are were so beautiful and they deserve
to be remembered in the highest way.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Here's Stephanie with Crime Analyst Body Movie.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Then we didn't even know these girls and Ethan right,
we didn't know them. We didn't of course, we're not
connected to them in any way. But you know, over
the course of the last two and a half years,
we've ever really learned about how special these people were
that were murdered, and we all feel just tremendously sad.
And you know who else I was really proud of Dylan. Dylan,
(06:20):
if you don't know, she's the surviving roommate. She almost
I'm gonna get emotional and good, We're like a this
is like this is really she saw Brian Coberger. She
described him to police. Luckily was spared, thank god. And
she walked into court and she asked to sit. And
I was so appreciative that Bill Thompson kind of like
(06:43):
scooted it over a little bit. He's the prosecutor, kind
of scooted over a little bit so to block Brian
Coberger from viewing her or her from viewing him. And
she spoke, and she told her truth.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
What happened that night changed everything because of him. For beautiful, genuine,
compassionate people were taken from this world for no reason.
He didn't just take them from the world. He took
(07:19):
them from me, My friends, my people who felt like
my home, the people I looked up to and adorn
more than anyone. He took away my ability to trust
the world around me. What he had shattered me in
places I didn't know could break. I'm gonna be alone.
(07:41):
I had to sleep in my mom's bed because I
was too terrified to close my eyes, terrified that if
I blinked someone might be there. I made escape plans
everywhere I went. If something happens, how do I get out?
What can I use to defend myself. Who can help?
And then there are the panic attacks, the guy that
(08:03):
slam into me like a tsunami out of nowhere. I
can't breathe, I can't think, I can't stop shaking. All
I can do is scream because the emotional pain and
the grief is too much to handle. They say I'm
a survivor, but I don't know how heavy it is
to carry so much pain and still be expected to
(08:25):
keep going. And that's because of him. He is a
hollow vessel, something less than human, a body without empathy,
without remorse. He chose destruction, He chows evil, he feels nothing.
He tried to take everything from me, my friends, my safety,
(08:48):
my identity, my future. Living is how I honor them.
Speaking today is to help me find some sort of
justice for them, and I will never let him take
that from me.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
To confront Brian Coberger after she came so close to
being his victim and he walked right by her, that's
like massively traumatic. Her life is completely changed from this.
She's only twenty one now. This woman is going to
need counseling for many, many, many years. And the only
person responsible for this is Brian Coberger, And that's what
(09:26):
victim impact statements are supposed to be. They're supposed to
tell the judge, this is how my life has been
affected by this happening, and this person deserves an enormous sentence.
Ben Mogan's impact statement was particularly hard to listen to,
specifically because of his troubled past and how Maddie helped him.
It's just tragic.
Speaker 13 (09:48):
Maddie was my only child that I never had. Most
She's the only great thing I ever really did and
I only think I are you ever proud of? And
I went through a lot of issues with addiction and
with with substance abuse, and when I wasn't wanting to
(10:14):
live anymore, she was what would keep me here from
just not caring anymore, and knowing that she was out
there and that she was just such a beautiful person
kept me alive a lot of rough moments, and I'll
never be able to They placed her.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
Now, let's stop here for a break. We'll be back
in a moment here again. Long crime journalist Anjeanette Levy
with producer Alice in Bankston.
Speaker 7 (10:58):
I'm curious seem like this any of this was registering
for Brian, you know, you had a good view of him.
How was he reacting to these emotional victim impact statements.
Speaker 8 (11:08):
As some of the other family members spoke. You know,
it's like he is this even affecting him? Is it
upsetting him? Is he somebody who actually feels anything? He
was called evil? I mean, he was called all kinds
of things. And what struck me was when Scott Laramie
Matti Mogan's stepfathers talked about the need to have evil
locked away, he almost nodded in agreement, Brian Coberger did.
Speaker 14 (11:35):
Matty was taken senselessly and brutally in a sudden act
of evil. We know the law allows us to comment
on the defendant and his sentence. We support the plea agreement.
Society needs to be protected against this evil.
Speaker 8 (11:53):
So it makes you wonder does Brian Coburger, you know,
does he have the ability to reflect and realize I
am a really damaged human being? Like is he that
introspective and does he have the ability to see that
you know what, I am evil and I do need
to be locked away forever. I mean, because it was
(12:16):
almost like a It's an ever so slight nod in agreement.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
Here's Stephanie and crime analyst Body Moven. They're joined by
former homicide prosecutor Jarrett Farentino. Farantino is a season trial
attorney who's prosecuted some of the most complex and high
stakes cases in the country, including multiple death penalty trials.
Speaker 15 (12:45):
As victim statements go, I mean, listen, we've all been
in courtrooms. I mean, obviously you've been in more than
any of us combined. But you know, victim statements, to
your point is very powerful. But what's your response to
how he behaved?
Speaker 16 (13:00):
Ryan Kolberger is dead behind the eyes seeing him in
those prison clothes again, seeing how pale he was, I mean,
he looked like a psychopath.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
That's a really great observation, because you know what he is,
detached and devoid of emotion.
Speaker 15 (13:15):
Is a psychopath at its core. They do not feel
the same emotion that the rest.
Speaker 13 (13:19):
Of us do.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Is I want to say, And I don't know, maybe
this is just what I want to think, but I
want to say, Olivia, it was really the only reaction
he had all day was to her words.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
My name is Olivia and I'm the big sister of
Kaylee Gonzalvez, and I was blessed to love Madison Mogan
as a sister too. I'm not here today to speak
in grief. I'm here to speak in truth because the
truth is, my sister, Kayley and her best friend Mattie
were not yours to take. They were not yours to study,
to stalk, or to silence. They were two pieces of
(13:56):
a whole, the perfect yin and yang. They are everything
that you could never be loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave
and powerful. Because the truth about Kayley and Mattie is
they would have been kind to you if you would
approach them in their everyday lives. They would have given
you directions, thanked you for the compliment, or awkwardly giggled
(14:20):
to make your own words less uncomfortable for you in
a world that rejected you. They would have shown mercy.
I won't offer you tears, I won't offer you trembling
disappointments like you thrive on pain, on fear, and on
the illusion of power, and I won't feed your beast.
Speaker 11 (14:40):
Instead, I will.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Call you what you are, sociopath, psychopath, murderer. I will
ask the questions that reverberate violently in my own head,
so loudly that I can't think straight most any day.
Some of these might be familiar.
Speaker 11 (15:00):
So sit up straight.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
When I talked to you, how was your life right
before you murdered my sisters? Did you prepare for the
crime before leaving your apartment? Please detail what you were
thinking and feeling at this time? Why did you choose
my sisters before making your move? Did you approach my sisters?
Do you tell what you were thinking and feeling before
(15:22):
leaving their home? Is there anything else you did? What
were Kaylee's last words?
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Her poise was unbelievable, her telling the murderer sit up
straight when I talked.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
To you, Yes, did you tell what you were thinking
and feeling before leaving the home? And she was doing
these things because of the Reddit survey Brian Coberger did
exactly she was. She was mimicking him, and I loved
it because it's like it's an inside thing, right.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
And it doesn't know what that is.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
You know.
Speaker 15 (15:57):
Something that we always thought was very interesting and troubling
was that when Brian Coberger was getting his you know,
PhD in Criminology, smarty pants that he is, he had
done this really strange survey where he sent out questions
to prisoners asking very specific questions that were kind of daunting,
I mean in retrospects, like straight up scary, horrifying in
(16:20):
a real tell. And those questions are what Kaylee Gonzalveez,
his sister basically repeated back to him in jest. And
it was really a total masterclass.
Speaker 16 (16:31):
She was mocking him. She started off by saying, you're
a psychopath. You're a sociopath. Then she proceeds to mock him.
And narcissism is you know, he's a narcissist, and she's
saying to him, you have no power over me. Here
I am another young, beautiful woman looking in the face
telling you how small you are.
Speaker 9 (16:51):
No.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
What else I really love was when Steve Gonsalvez, the
father one of the victims, Yes, got up there, so
the podium was sort of facing the judge. Okay, he
physically turned the podium very abruptly, I might add, to
face Brian Coberger and he was literally talking directly to him.
Speaker 6 (17:14):
Today, we are here to finish what you started today.
You've lost control.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Today.
Speaker 6 (17:22):
We are here to prove to the world that you
pick the wrong families, wrong state, the wrong police officers,
the wrong community. You tried to break our community apart.
You tried to plant fear, You tried to divide us.
Speaker 10 (17:38):
You failed.
Speaker 6 (17:39):
Looking back, when the police officers knocked on my door,
told me what happened to my child, told me what
happened to Mattie May. I don't think he was even
out of the driveway before my kids turned around, looked
at me and said what do we do?
Speaker 17 (17:51):
Dad?
Speaker 6 (17:52):
I told him you get to work, You get your
ass to work. And we started calling, We started texting,
we started emailing, and you know what, within hours, within hours,
we had your white car on a camera. We knew,
we knew from the very beginning, we had you. Police
officers tell us, within minutes, they had your DNA like
(18:15):
a calling card. You were that careless, that foolish, that's stupid,
Master degree, You're a joke, complete joke.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
And he just lays it out. You're a joke. And
the only thing you've done is unite people in our
vendetta against you. And he presented this really great united
front from all of the victims' families. They're all united.
They might disagree on certain things like the death penalty,
(18:51):
for instance, but they are all united in their disdain
for him.
Speaker 15 (18:57):
Can you imagine the actional level of grace for the
actual family members. It's really just a testament to the
human spirit, and you know, just as a reminder of
the stuff that we all complain about, our stress about,
or we get stirred up, and then you hear these
incredible humans and they have this fortitude to push on
(19:20):
and to see a better day ahead.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Xanna Kernodle's aunt, Kim stood out to me in a
particular way.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
My name is Kim Karnodle. I'm Xana's aunt. It's very
blessed to have her in my life, in our family.
And I thought I had everything in my head what
I wanted to say, but it kind of went out
and I try. I'm I'm always looking for the positive
thing because evil hate can destroy people, and that's what
(19:59):
it started doing with our family. Bran, I'm here today
to tell you I have forgiven you because I no
longer could live with that hate in my heart and
for me to become a better person.
Speaker 18 (20:14):
I have forgiven you.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
And anytime you want to talk and tell me what
happened yet my number. I'm here no judgment because I
do have questions that I want you to answer and
I'm here. I'll be that one that'll listen to you.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Let's stop here for a break. We'll be back in
a moment here again, Journalist angrenatte Levy from the Law
on Crime Network.
Speaker 8 (20:49):
I was shocked when Xana's aunt said she had forgiven
him and she wanted answers and that he could call
her any time. There isn't no contact order, but still,
I mean, wow, I thought that very powerful. And he
just sat there, you know, he just sat there. He
does not deserve the grace that she offered him.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Ethan Chapin's family did not attend Brian Coberger's sentencing hearing. Instead,
they chose to spend the day together as a family.
A few days later, they released a statement thanking law
enforcement for their hard work and honoring their son and brother. Quote,
from the time you were a baby to when we
dropped you off at college, you were an absolute joy
(21:31):
and the glue that held our family together. We love you,
miss you, and promise to continue honoring your legacy. On
July twenty third, twenty twenty five, after several powerful, heart
wrenching victim impact statements, the air inside the courtroom was
(21:53):
thick with anticipation, Friends, family members, and members of the
public sat in absolute silence. They were waiting to see
if admitted killer Brian Coburger would finally speak, Would he,
at long last, reveal why, any kind of motive, any
(22:13):
sort of reason for the brutal, unthinkable murders of Madison,
Mogen Kayleie Gonsalvez, Xanakernodle, and Ethan Shapin. Just three weeks earlier,
at his plea hearing, Coburger had said almost nothing, And
for the grieving family members, for friends, for the public,
it felt like a slap in the face. Still, there
(22:35):
was hope. There was hope that just maybe sentencing would
be different. Would he offer any reason that might help
these families make sense of the senseless and begin to heal,
or would the questions, mystery and pain continue to linger
unanswered forever. Here's Judge Stephen Hipler in the courtroom.
Speaker 18 (22:59):
Him, mister Coburger, you have an opportunity to make a
statement if you wish to.
Speaker 9 (23:02):
I take it you were declining.
Speaker 16 (23:05):
I respectfully declined.
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Here's Stephanie Leideker with crime analyst Body Movin and former
homicide prosecutor Jarrett Farantino, he.
Speaker 15 (23:18):
Was asked this, and his quote was, I respectfully decline.
I almost threw the television again.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
What were you expecting? Though I was expecting. I'm so sorry.
Oh my gosh, No, that is not who BK is.
I know it's so hard to demand him to be
normal because he's not.
Speaker 15 (23:35):
Why was there no elocution? Why did he not have
to speak?
Speaker 16 (23:39):
Well, he just doesn't have to. I hate to set
the answer. He doesn't have to. The prosecutor could not
have forced him to do that. He could have leveraged
that and made that request and made it a condition
of the plea. But you cannot compel a factual elocution
of that nature.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Could Bill Thompson has said something like this. Could he
have said, we're going to take the death penalty off
the table and give you life in prison, but you
have to tell us where the knife is, tell us
where the murder weapon is, and if we go dig
it up and it ain't there, you're not getting the deal.
Could they have done something like something like that?
Speaker 11 (24:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 17 (24:17):
Right, I think so he could have.
Speaker 16 (24:19):
The thing is he did. Bill Thompson was saying in
his press conference afterwards, we saw an opportunity to resolve
the case and the litigation, not through the trial. And
he specifically said we wouldn't have believed what he said anyway.
Speaker 15 (24:35):
Who is he to decide that though, But you don't
have to believe him.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
If he tells you where the knife is and you
go dig it up and stare, then you know he's
telling the truth. What does it matter if he's lying
or not?
Speaker 17 (24:42):
Like you know, he could have asked that, and he
had leverage at that point because you didn't agree to
the deal and Culberger's life still hung in the balance,
and say, all right, Brian, you want us to take
the extreme step.
Speaker 16 (24:54):
Of taking death off the table, you've got to give
us something other than saying you did this. So you've
got to tell us why, how, where? What are we missing? Exactly?
Do that. He's trying to take some of the sensationalism
out of this. I'm describing as a very by the
book prosecutor. He only wants enough details out to secure
(25:15):
the conviction and move on. He's really trying to downplay this,
and that's not a rub against him. That's a style,
that's an.
Speaker 17 (25:22):
Approach to this.
Speaker 16 (25:24):
I don't see that. It's just not effective in this
type of a case, you have to kind of just
ride a wave a little bit and say, look, the
demand of the public. They really want to know some
of these details. Stop holding back.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
Here's Judge Stephen Hipler in the courtroom defending the prosecution's decision.
Speaker 10 (25:45):
As we sit here today, this case is ending, and
we are now certain who committed these unspeakable acts of evil,
But we don't know, and what we may never know
is why. I share the desire expressed by others to
understand and the why.
Speaker 18 (26:01):
But upon reflection, it seems to me, and this is
just my own opinion, that by continuing to focus on why,
we continue to give mister Coburger relevance, we give him
agency and we give him power. Yet, even if I
could force him to speak, which legally I cannot, how
could anyone ever be assured that what he speaks is
the truth?
Speaker 9 (26:22):
Do we really believe after all of this he's capable
of speaking the truth or of giving up something of
himself to help the very people whose lives he destroyed. Rather,
I suspect the so called reason would be dished out
in enticing, self serving and aggrandizing, untruthful bits, leaving people
wanting more information, more insight, and this enhancing even further
(26:45):
the power he seeks to hold. Even if we could
get truthful insight into his why, I suspected, would not
in any way quench one's thirst for actually understanding why
in the first instance, because there is no reason for
these crimes that could approach anything resembling rationality, No conceivable
(27:05):
reason could make any sense. And in the end, the
more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the
more we try to extract a reason, the more power
and control we give to him. In my view, the
time has now calm to end mister Coberger's fifteen minutes
of fame. It's time that he'd be consigned to the
(27:27):
ignominy and isolation of perpetual incarceration.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
At the end of the hearing, Judge Hitler delivered the
sentence for consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Coburger also waived his right to appeal. Brian Coberger was
led out of the courtroom, his hands and feet clinking
with shackles and chains. Deputies escorted him down a secure
hallway into a waiting transport van. His final destination the
(28:00):
Idaho Maximum Security institution, a place he will never leave,
and that very night something else happened.
Speaker 18 (28:10):
After Wednesday's hearing, the Moscow Police Department released more than
three hundred documents related to the case.
Speaker 17 (28:15):
The documents reveal unsettling new details about the weeks leading
up to the murders.
Speaker 5 (28:20):
For many, this was their first glimpse behind the scenes.
For others, it was a chance to search for answers,
to find even the smallest clue that might explain the
questions still hanging over this entire case. Why Why did
Brian Coberger take four innocent lives? In search of answers?
We're going inside those documents. More on that next time.
(28:48):
For more information on the case and relevant photos, follow
us on Instagram at kat Underscore Studios. The Idaho Massacres
produced by Stephanie Leideker, Alison Bankston, Gabriel Castillo and me
Courtney Armstrong. Editing and sound design by Jeff Toois, Music
by Jared Aston. The Idaho Masacre is a production of
(29:10):
Katie's Studios and iHeartRadio. For more podcasts like this, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Hosts And Creators
Stephanie Lydecker
Courtney Armstrong
Jeff Shane
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