BOISE, Idaho – Bryan Kohberger, the man who formally confessed to the November 2022 murders of four Idaho college students, is set to be sentenced on Wednesday, July 23.
The quadruple-murder trial was expected to begin next month but Kohberger accepted a plea deal earlier this month to avoid the death penalty.
He plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder to spare his life and instead serve four life sentences.
Here are the things to know about Kohberger’s sentencing hearing.
Bryan Kohberger, charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students, appears at the Ada County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
How to watch Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing
Kohberger’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning, and the victims’ family members are expected to speak.
FOX 13 will be live from the courtroom during the hearing, and will be streamed on FOX LOCAL, YouTube Live and FOX 13+.
The hearing will begin at 8 a.m. PT. Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, and is expected to last all day.
What to know about Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing
Family of the victims will have the opportunity to give remarks at the hearing, but it’s not known how many people are expected to speak.
The sentencing hearing will likely take the full, it could go on until Thursday, July 24 if extra time is needed.
What happened in the Idaho student murders case?
Kohberger, 30, was accused of stabbing and killing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022. He was arrested months later at his parents’ home in eastern Pennsylvania.
Investigators said Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath at the home, surveillance video showed a car matching Kohberger’s nearby at the time of the killings, and cell phone data showed him near the house multiple times before the attack.
Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, along with the women’s two other roommates in Kaylee Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the slayings. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
Kohberger is a former criminology Ph.D. student attending Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. He was living about 10 miles away from the crime scene when the murders took place.
Kohberger’s defense attorneys got the trial moved to Boise after expressing concerns that the court wouldn’t be able to find enough unbiased jurors in the rural farming community of Moscow. But they were unsuccessful in their efforts to get the death penalty taken off the table, and they weren’t able to prevent critical evidence like the DNA from being admitted at trial.
Kohberger pleads guilty in plea deal
Kohberger accepted a plea deal this month in the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students in 2022. He was set to go to trial in August.
A judge previously ruled that prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Kohberger if he was convicted.
Because of the plea deal, Kohberger avoids the death penalty.
Bryan Kohberger plea deal: Watch full Idaho court hearing
Bryan Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students. His plea Wednesday comes after prosecutors pursued the death penalty and his attorneys failed to block it. The 30-year-old faced charges for fatally stabbing the students in a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho.
He initially exercised his constitutional right to remain silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
President Trump responds to plea deal ahead of sentencing
President Donald Trump commented on Kohberger’s upcoming sentencing for the Idaho student murders.
“Theses were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered,” Trump said on social media.
“People were shocked that he was able to plea bargain, but the Judge should make him explain what happened,” Trump added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Kohberger signs killer confession
Bryan Kohberger formally confessed to the murders of four Idaho college students, admitting to breaking into their home with intent to kill and then fatally stabbing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
The confession was made public days before his scheduled sentencing on July 23.
It includes a plea deal that waives his right to appeal in exchange for four consecutive life sentences without parole.
The confession is dated July 1, a day before Kohberger pleaded guilty to all charges in court.
Judge lifts gag order in quadruple murder case
A coalition of news organizations including The Associated Press had asked the court to lift the gag order since a trial is no longer planned. They renewed their request after Kohberger pleaded guilty.
During a hearing, 4th District Judge Steven Hippler agreed that lifting the gag order would protect the First Amendment rights of the public and press.
The Source: Information in this story came from The Associated Press, FOX News Digital and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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