Bryan Kohberger is set to be formally sentenced at a hearing after pleading guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022.
The hearing began shortly after 9 a.m. Mountain Time Wednesday. Kohberger sat in the courtroom wearing an orange prison jumpsuit.
Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves as part of a plea deal that spared him from the death penalty. The plea agreement states he will be receive four life sentences without the possibility of parole, one for each murder charge, and a 10-year sentence for a burglary charge that he also pleaded guilty to. During his plea hearing, Judge Steven Hippler said the court is not bound by the plea agreement and could impose a different sentence.
The hearing is open to the public and being livestreamed. More than 50 people were lined up outside the Ada County Courthouse before dawn waiting to get in. Some waited all night. The hearing is expected to last the day, with some scheduled breaks, although the judge said it could be extended into Thursday to ensure there is enough time for the families to read victim impact statements.
Chapin, Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves were killed at a home in Moscow, Idaho, during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania six weeks later. Prosecutors said that if the case had gone to trial they would have used DNA evidence that linked Kohberger to the crime scene, his online purchase history, surveillance video of Koherger’s car, and cellphone data that showed him in the vicinity of the killings.
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The families of the victims have been divided over the plea deal. Mogen’s father told CBS News he was relieved to learn of the deal, saying it will allow his family to “actually put this behind us.” The Goncalves family has bitterly criticized the agreement, and told CBS News after a gag order was lifted that they believe the plea deal gives Kohberger a chance to live a “better and more rewarding life inside” prison.
How to watch Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing for Idaho murders
- What: Bryan Kohberger to be sentenced for the murders of four Idaho college students
- Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
- Time: Begins at 11 a.m. ET (9 a.m. MT)
- Location: Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho
- Online stream: Live on CBS News in the video player above and on your mobile or streaming device
Note: Streaming plans subject to change.