Kohberger plea deal in University of Idaho killings is right call | Opinion

Arranging a plea deal with Bryan Kohberger, the man suspected of stabbing to death four University of Idaho students, was the right thing to do.

Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, in November 2022 in an off-campus Moscow home.

Kohberger faced four first-degree murder charges and, if convicted, could have been sentenced to death in a trial that was slated to start with opening statements on Aug. 18. But a plea deal that went public Monday would spare Kohberger the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea that ensures Kohberger:

• will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the four murder counts.
• will be sentenced to the maximum penalty of 10 years for the burglary charge.
• will waive all right to an appeal.
• will never be released from prison.

We recognize and acknowledge some of the victims’ families’ desire for the death penalty.

“We are beyond furious at the state of Idaho. They have failed us,” the Goncalves family posted on its Facebook page.

But we also recognize that not all families might feel the same way.

The plea deal secures a full conviction, no possibility of appeal or parole, and it saves everyone the emotional toll of a trial. This proceeding promised to be a gruesome circus and, we would imagine, horrible for the families to relive, not to mention some of the witnesses, such as the surviving roommates.

“We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” according to a letter from Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson to the victims’ families. “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice. ... This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals.”

What really counts is four life sentences with no parole or chance of a technical loophole.

Also, given the state of the death penalty, with its seemingly endless avenues for appeal in Idaho, even if Kohberger had been convicted and then sentenced to death, it likely would have taken years — if not decades — for his execution.

This provides justice immediately, and some sense of closure, without the possibility of those appeals and the story dragging on and on.

And it can finally lay to rest a horrible and dark chapter in Idaho that started nearly three years ago.

Coming to this arrangement was a very sound decision for everyone involved.

This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Kohberger plea deal in University of Idaho killings is right call | Opinion."