July 31, 2025 • 11 mins
There has been an update in the University of Idaho murder case (episode #226 from 2022). Following his admission of guilt, Bryan Kohberger has been sentenced to four life sentences for the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalvez, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Earlier this month, Brian Coburger, the man accused of the
November twenty twenty two murders of four University of Idaho students,
unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges at a July second
change of plea hearing. He admitted to the first degree
murders of Kayley Gonzolvz Madison Mogan, Xana Cernadel, and Ethan Chapin,
as well as a related burglary charge. This plea was
(00:29):
part of an agreement that spared him the death penalty,
instead guaranteeing life imprisonment. Following Coberger's confession, the judge lifted
a month long gag order that had barred investigators and
attorneys from discussing the high profile case. Law enforcement, now
free to speak publicly, emphasized that their focus had always
been on securing justice for the victims and bringing closure
(00:51):
to the community. Judge Stephen Hipler, who presided over the case,
agreed to end the gag order on July seventeenth, noting
that with Coburger's gesuilty, please concerns about prejudicing a jury
were moot. The judge clarified that sealed case documents would
be reviewed and unsealed in batches, not all at once.
Within days, authorities began releasing investigative records that had been
(01:13):
kept under wraps throughout the proceedings. Coburger's sentenced in hearing
was held on July twenty third, twenty twenty five, in
a Boise court room after a venue changed due to
the intense publicity there. Judge Hipler formally sentenced the thirty
year old former criminology PhD student before consecutive life terms
in prison without the possibility of parole, plus, of course,
(01:35):
an additional ten years for burglary. This fulfilled the Plea
deal's terms and ensured that Brian Coeberger would spend the
rest of his life behind bars. In court, Coburger declined
to speak when given a final opportunity, simply saying I
respectfully decline. He offered no apology or explanation, sitting impassively
in an orange jumpsuit as victim's families confronted him. The
(01:57):
judge condemned Coburger as a faceless cow and remarked on
his lack of remorse. Judge Hitler reflected that the crimes
were unfathomable and senseless. The greatest tragedy for the families,
and acknowledged that we may never know why Coburger committed
such evil acts, a caution that dwelling on Coburger's motive
(02:17):
only gives the killer the spotlight, attention, and power he
appears to crave. The heart of the sentencing hearing was
the victim impact statements, which lasted several hours. Family members
and the two surviving roommates delivered powerful emotional testimonies about
the four young lives that were cut short for the
first time publicly. One surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, spoke about
(02:39):
the trauma and the survivor's guilt that she has endured,
describing how she now suffers panic attacks and must check
her room each night out of fear. The other surviving roommate,
Bethany Funk, had a friend read her statement, recalling the
horror of discovering the crime scene and the lasting pain
it caused. Parents and siblings of the victims addressed Coburger
directly expressing their grief and anger. Kaylee Gonzalves's father, for example,
(03:04):
called Coburger a complete joke and emphasized that throughout the
media frenzy, the family's work to keep the focus on
the victims rather than the killer. Mister Gonsalves underscored the
four friends will be remembered for the joy they brought
to the world, stating all anyone talked about when they
talked about this case was Kaylei, Maddie, Xanna and Ethan.
Other loved ones shared memories. Madison Mogan's stepfather spoke of
(03:28):
how this world was a better place with her in it,
and her father tearfully recounted her ambitions and the final
Father's Day cards she gave him. These statements painted a
picture of each victim's vibrant life and the devastating void
left by their loss. Many family members also thanked law
enforcement and prosecutors for ensuring that justice was served, expressing
relief that they brought this case to closure. With the
(03:52):
gag order lifted and the case concluded, authorities released hundreds
of pages of investigative documents, shedding new light on the crime,
the painstaking search for the killer. Police reports confirmed the
sheer brutality of the murders themselves. Responding officers described a
gruesome scene inside the off campus house, walls and floors
smeared with blood, and some victims so badly wounded that
(04:15):
they were initially unrecognizable. Family members later revealed that Kaylee
Gonsalves had been stabbed thirty four times and another victim
suffered even more wounds. In fact, investigators say Xana Cernadel
fought desperately, sustaining over fifty stab wounds, mostly defensive injuries,
indicating a fierce struggle, before she succumbed to fatal wounds
(04:36):
to her lung and heart. Cernadl's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, was
found nearby the corner. Determined that his fatal injury was
a deep stab under the clavicle that severed major blood vessels.
On the third floor, Mattie Mogen and Kaylee Gonsalvez were
discovered together in bed. They too had multiple stab wounds
to vital organs, and Kaylee had severe damage to her
(04:56):
face and signs of possible asphyxiation, suggest testing the killer
used brutal force. These horrific details, kept sealed during the
court case, shed light on the viciousness of the crime
and have only deepened the family sorrow, with Kayley's family
stating that details are more horrific than we can imagine.
Despite the wealth of forensic evidence time Coburger to the murders,
(05:19):
a clear motive remains elusive. In fact, investigators admit they
may never know what drove Brian Coburger to attack these students.
He's the only one that has the why, said Idaho
State Police Lieutenant Darren Gilbertson, adding that any reason Coburger
might give may only make sense to him. From the
start of this case, the question of why them has
(05:40):
loomed large. Moscow police now say that they found no
prior link between Coburger and the victims, no personal connection
or online interactions that would explain why he targeted this
particular friend group. We've looked for a link, and we
have not found one, an official said, noting that they
could not even determine if any one victim was the
primary target. They do suspect Coburger chose the victim's house intentionally,
(06:04):
though the exact reason we don't know. According to Moscow's
police chief, The lead prosecutor, Bill Thompson, shared his personal
theory that one of the young women on the top floor,
either Kaylee or Maddie, was the intended target, simply because
Coburger headed straight to that floor and may not have
expected to encounter the others on the second floor. In
Thompson's view, it's more likely than not he did not
(06:26):
expect to encounter Xana and the others up and about.
This theory, however, is not backed by any definitive evidence.
It remains completely speculative, and Coburger himself has provided no
insight into his motivations. But the evidence does show is
a pattern of planning and predatory behavior in the lead
up to the crime itself. Phone records indicate that Coburger's
(06:48):
cell phone was detected near the victim's residence at least
a dozen times in the months before the murders, almost
all of the occasions in the late night or early
morning hours. Surveillance footage also captured a white Hunt Sedan
matching Coburger's car making repeated passes by the house at
around the time of the murders. In newly unsealed interviews,
one surviving roommate told police that about a month before
(07:10):
the attack, Kayley Gonzolvus had voiced concerns about a possible stalker.
She had seen an unknown man watching her from behind
the house when taking her dog out, and she mentioned
a friends that she had a stalker who sent her
some odd messages. Just nine days before the murders, the
young women returned home to find their front door mysteriously
left open and damage as if an intruder had tried
(07:31):
to force injury, an incident so alarming that they began
arming themselves with golf clubs and had the lock fixed
the next day. It's unclear if these incidents were related
to Brian Coburger or merely coincidence, but they showed that
the victims felt a growing sense of unease. In the
weeks before the tragedy, Investigators chased down countless leads of
this nature, from reports of a stranger lurking in anighbor's yard,
(07:54):
possibly Coburger himself, to tips about a man asking for
a tactical knife cover at a local store. Ultimately, the
break in the case came from solid forensic sleuthing. At
the crime scene, police found a knife sheath left on
a bed which contained DNA that did not belong to
the victims. By extracting a DNA profile from the sheath
and matching it to a sample from Coburger's family's trash,
(08:16):
a discarded Q tip swab detectives were able to identify
Coburger as the suspect. Once his name surfaced, investigators rapidly
uncovered more evidence pointing to him. He had purchased a
military style knife online, His white Hyundai matched the vehicle
seen near the house, and his phone pings aligned with
being in the vicinity of the crime scene at the
(08:37):
right times. Armed with this evidence, officers arrested Brian Coburger
at his parents' Pennsylvania home in late December of twenty
twenty two, about six weeks after the murders. At the
time of arrest, Coburger briefly chatted with investigators about some
mundane topics before quickly asking for a lawyer. When confronted
about the Moscow killings. He never confessed or explained himself
(08:59):
during those post arrest interviews. In fact, prosecutors revealed that
Coburger had been in the process of actively deleting things
from his devices, apparently trying to erase digital traces that
might have linked him to the victims, suggesting that he
went to lengths to conceal any motive or planning if
it was recorded electronically. Even after pleading guilty, Coburger refused
(09:21):
to elaborate on his actions in court, leaving the burning
question of why unanswered. The motive for the killings remains
a mystery, one report concluded, echoing the frustration of investigators
who exhaustively pieced together the how and the who, but
not the why. With Brian Coeberger now condemned to spend
(09:43):
his life in prison, the long painful saga of the
Idaho student murders has come to an end. The lifting
of the gag order has allowed authorities in the public
to finally acknowledge the full scope of what happened and
to speak the victim's names freely. At a national level,
there was an outpouring of sympathy. Even the White House
weighed in, with the Press Secretary conveying our nation grieves
(10:04):
with you to the victim's families and vowing that we
will never forget the precious souls who were lost in
this horrific act of evil. In the courtroom and beyond,
those four beloved students have been at the center of
the story. Kaylee, Madison, Xanna and Ethan, ages twenty and
twenty one, are remembered as bright, kind and full of
promise by all who knew them. Their families have spoken
(10:27):
of birthdays missed, future plans never realized in the enduring
pain of their absence. Yet alongside their grief, there is
some solace in knowing that justice has finally been served.
Law enforcement officials have expressed hope that the community of Moscow,
Idaho can now begin to heal after living in fear
and sorrow for so long. The Moscow police chiefs said
that their mission was always to bring justice for the victims,
(10:50):
and that mission is now accomplished. The families, in their strength,
have tried to turn this tragedy into a celebration of
their missing loved one's lives, ensuring that the world remembers
the victim not for just how they died, but for
how they lived and loved. Coburger's conviction and life sentence
can never bring those four young lives back, but it
guarantees that he will never harm anyone again. After three
(11:12):
long years, the quest for answers and accountability has ended,
and this story has finally been resolved.
Earlier this month, Brian Coburger, the man accused of the
November twenty twenty two murders of four University of Idaho students,
unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges at a July second
change of plea hearing. He admitted to the first degree
murders of Kayley Gonzolvz Madison Mogan, Xana Cernadel, and Ethan Chapin,
as well as a related burglary charge. This plea was
(00:29):
part of an agreement that spared him the death penalty,
instead guaranteeing life imprisonment. Following Coberger's confession, the judge lifted
a month long gag order that had barred investigators and
attorneys from discussing the high profile case. Law enforcement, now
free to speak publicly, emphasized that their focus had always
been on securing justice for the victims and bringing closure
(00:51):
to the community. Judge Stephen Hipler, who presided over the case,
agreed to end the gag order on July seventeenth, noting
that with Coburger's gesuilty, please concerns about prejudicing a jury
were moot. The judge clarified that sealed case documents would
be reviewed and unsealed in batches, not all at once.
Within days, authorities began releasing investigative records that had been
(01:13):
kept under wraps throughout the proceedings. Coburger's sentenced in hearing
was held on July twenty third, twenty twenty five, in
a Boise court room after a venue changed due to
the intense publicity there. Judge Hipler formally sentenced the thirty
year old former criminology PhD student before consecutive life terms
in prison without the possibility of parole, plus, of course,
(01:35):
an additional ten years for burglary. This fulfilled the Plea
deal's terms and ensured that Brian Coeberger would spend the
rest of his life behind bars. In court, Coburger declined
to speak when given a final opportunity, simply saying I
respectfully decline. He offered no apology or explanation, sitting impassively
in an orange jumpsuit as victim's families confronted him. The
(01:57):
judge condemned Coburger as a faceless cow and remarked on
his lack of remorse. Judge Hitler reflected that the crimes
were unfathomable and senseless. The greatest tragedy for the families,
and acknowledged that we may never know why Coburger committed
such evil acts, a caution that dwelling on Coburger's motive
(02:17):
only gives the killer the spotlight, attention, and power he
appears to crave. The heart of the sentencing hearing was
the victim impact statements, which lasted several hours. Family members
and the two surviving roommates delivered powerful emotional testimonies about
the four young lives that were cut short for the
first time publicly. One surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, spoke about
(02:39):
the trauma and the survivor's guilt that she has endured,
describing how she now suffers panic attacks and must check
her room each night out of fear. The other surviving roommate,
Bethany Funk, had a friend read her statement, recalling the
horror of discovering the crime scene and the lasting pain
it caused. Parents and siblings of the victims addressed Coburger
directly expressing their grief and anger. Kaylee Gonzalves's father, for example,
(03:04):
called Coburger a complete joke and emphasized that throughout the
media frenzy, the family's work to keep the focus on
the victims rather than the killer. Mister Gonsalves underscored the
four friends will be remembered for the joy they brought
to the world, stating all anyone talked about when they
talked about this case was Kaylei, Maddie, Xanna and Ethan.
Other loved ones shared memories. Madison Mogan's stepfather spoke of
(03:28):
how this world was a better place with her in it,
and her father tearfully recounted her ambitions and the final
Father's Day cards she gave him. These statements painted a
picture of each victim's vibrant life and the devastating void
left by their loss. Many family members also thanked law
enforcement and prosecutors for ensuring that justice was served, expressing
relief that they brought this case to closure. With the
(03:52):
gag order lifted and the case concluded, authorities released hundreds
of pages of investigative documents, shedding new light on the crime,
the painstaking search for the killer. Police reports confirmed the
sheer brutality of the murders themselves. Responding officers described a
gruesome scene inside the off campus house, walls and floors
smeared with blood, and some victims so badly wounded that
(04:15):
they were initially unrecognizable. Family members later revealed that Kaylee
Gonsalves had been stabbed thirty four times and another victim
suffered even more wounds. In fact, investigators say Xana Cernadel
fought desperately, sustaining over fifty stab wounds, mostly defensive injuries,
indicating a fierce struggle, before she succumbed to fatal wounds
(04:36):
to her lung and heart. Cernadl's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, was
found nearby the corner. Determined that his fatal injury was
a deep stab under the clavicle that severed major blood vessels.
On the third floor, Mattie Mogen and Kaylee Gonsalvez were
discovered together in bed. They too had multiple stab wounds
to vital organs, and Kaylee had severe damage to her
(04:56):
face and signs of possible asphyxiation, suggest testing the killer
used brutal force. These horrific details, kept sealed during the
court case, shed light on the viciousness of the crime
and have only deepened the family sorrow, with Kayley's family
stating that details are more horrific than we can imagine.
Despite the wealth of forensic evidence time Coburger to the murders,
(05:19):
a clear motive remains elusive. In fact, investigators admit they
may never know what drove Brian Coburger to attack these students.
He's the only one that has the why, said Idaho
State Police Lieutenant Darren Gilbertson, adding that any reason Coburger
might give may only make sense to him. From the
start of this case, the question of why them has
(05:40):
loomed large. Moscow police now say that they found no
prior link between Coburger and the victims, no personal connection
or online interactions that would explain why he targeted this
particular friend group. We've looked for a link, and we
have not found one, an official said, noting that they
could not even determine if any one victim was the
primary target. They do suspect Coburger chose the victim's house intentionally,
(06:04):
though the exact reason we don't know. According to Moscow's
police chief, The lead prosecutor, Bill Thompson, shared his personal
theory that one of the young women on the top floor,
either Kaylee or Maddie, was the intended target, simply because
Coburger headed straight to that floor and may not have
expected to encounter the others on the second floor. In
Thompson's view, it's more likely than not he did not
(06:26):
expect to encounter Xana and the others up and about.
This theory, however, is not backed by any definitive evidence.
It remains completely speculative, and Coburger himself has provided no
insight into his motivations. But the evidence does show is
a pattern of planning and predatory behavior in the lead
up to the crime itself. Phone records indicate that Coburger's
(06:48):
cell phone was detected near the victim's residence at least
a dozen times in the months before the murders, almost
all of the occasions in the late night or early
morning hours. Surveillance footage also captured a white Hunt Sedan
matching Coburger's car making repeated passes by the house at
around the time of the murders. In newly unsealed interviews,
one surviving roommate told police that about a month before
(07:10):
the attack, Kayley Gonzolvus had voiced concerns about a possible stalker.
She had seen an unknown man watching her from behind
the house when taking her dog out, and she mentioned
a friends that she had a stalker who sent her
some odd messages. Just nine days before the murders, the
young women returned home to find their front door mysteriously
left open and damage as if an intruder had tried
(07:31):
to force injury, an incident so alarming that they began
arming themselves with golf clubs and had the lock fixed
the next day. It's unclear if these incidents were related
to Brian Coburger or merely coincidence, but they showed that
the victims felt a growing sense of unease. In the
weeks before the tragedy, Investigators chased down countless leads of
this nature, from reports of a stranger lurking in anighbor's yard,
(07:54):
possibly Coburger himself, to tips about a man asking for
a tactical knife cover at a local store. Ultimately, the
break in the case came from solid forensic sleuthing. At
the crime scene, police found a knife sheath left on
a bed which contained DNA that did not belong to
the victims. By extracting a DNA profile from the sheath
and matching it to a sample from Coburger's family's trash,
(08:16):
a discarded Q tip swab detectives were able to identify
Coburger as the suspect. Once his name surfaced, investigators rapidly
uncovered more evidence pointing to him. He had purchased a
military style knife online, His white Hyundai matched the vehicle
seen near the house, and his phone pings aligned with
being in the vicinity of the crime scene at the
(08:37):
right times. Armed with this evidence, officers arrested Brian Coburger
at his parents' Pennsylvania home in late December of twenty
twenty two, about six weeks after the murders. At the
time of arrest, Coburger briefly chatted with investigators about some
mundane topics before quickly asking for a lawyer. When confronted
about the Moscow killings. He never confessed or explained himself
(08:59):
during those post arrest interviews. In fact, prosecutors revealed that
Coburger had been in the process of actively deleting things
from his devices, apparently trying to erase digital traces that
might have linked him to the victims, suggesting that he
went to lengths to conceal any motive or planning if
it was recorded electronically. Even after pleading guilty, Coburger refused
(09:21):
to elaborate on his actions in court, leaving the burning
question of why unanswered. The motive for the killings remains
a mystery, one report concluded, echoing the frustration of investigators
who exhaustively pieced together the how and the who, but
not the why. With Brian Coeberger now condemned to spend
(09:43):
his life in prison, the long painful saga of the
Idaho student murders has come to an end. The lifting
of the gag order has allowed authorities in the public
to finally acknowledge the full scope of what happened and
to speak the victim's names freely. At a national level,
there was an outpouring of sympathy. Even the White House
weighed in, with the Press Secretary conveying our nation grieves
(10:04):
with you to the victim's families and vowing that we
will never forget the precious souls who were lost in
this horrific act of evil. In the courtroom and beyond,
those four beloved students have been at the center of
the story. Kaylee, Madison, Xanna and Ethan, ages twenty and
twenty one, are remembered as bright, kind and full of
promise by all who knew them. Their families have spoken
(10:27):
of birthdays missed, future plans never realized in the enduring
pain of their absence. Yet alongside their grief, there is
some solace in knowing that justice has finally been served.
Law enforcement officials have expressed hope that the community of Moscow,
Idaho can now begin to heal after living in fear
and sorrow for so long. The Moscow police chiefs said
that their mission was always to bring justice for the victims,
(10:50):
and that mission is now accomplished. The families, in their strength,
have tried to turn this tragedy into a celebration of
their missing loved one's lives, ensuring that the world remembers
the victim not for just how they died, but for
how they lived and loved. Coburger's conviction and life sentence
can never bring those four young lives back, but it
guarantees that he will never harm anyone again. After three
(11:12):
long years, the quest for answers and accountability has ended,
and this story has finally been resolved.
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