BOISE, Idaho – The man who killed four University of Idaho students is back in court to learn his sentence on Wednesday.
A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students in November 2022.
By 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, more than 50 people were already lined up outside the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho in hopes of getting a seat in the courtroom. The hearing is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. P.T.
The families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves are expected to address Kohberger directly during the hearing, which is expected to take all day.
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)
Below are live updates from the Ada County Courthouse in Boise:
9 a.m.: Family of Kaylee Goncalves start to speak
Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves spoke directly to Kohberger during the hearing.
“Today we are here to finish what you started,” Goncalves said.
Kohberger nodded subtly in response.
“You tried to break our community apart, you tried to plant fear, you tried to divide us. You failed,” he said sharply.
8:55 a.m.: Madison Mogen’s family continues speaking
Mogen’s stepfather declined to address Kohberger directly.
“We will not waste the words. Nor will we fall into hatred and bitterness. Evil has many faces, and we now know this, but evil does not deserve our time and attention. We are done being victims. We are taking back our lives,” he said, before thanking the judge.
“Any one of us would have given our own life to have been outshone by hers,” Karen Laramie’s brief statement read.
Mogen’s mother also declined to address Kohberger directly, as he remained expressionless, but closed her statement by saying the family might never forgive him or “ask for mercy” for what he did.
“His acts are too heinous,” Karen Laramie’s statement read.
Mogen’s grandma, Kim Cheeley, recounted her fondest memories of her granddaughters’ childhood.
“The foundation fell out of our world,” when the murders happened, Cheeley said.
Cheeley said they also created a holiday called Maddie May Day on Mogen’s birthday and encouraged the courtroom to do random acts of kindness in her memory.
Ben Mogen, Maddison’s father, described his only child as “the only great thing that I ever really did and the only thing I’m proud of.”
He described his personal struggle with addiction and substance abuse — but said his daughter kept him alive by being such a beautiful person.
“Thank you for always encouraging me to do my best. I love you lots and lots. Love Maddie May,” he said.
8:50 a.m.: Moments inside the courtroom during Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing
8:30 a.m.: Families of victims begin speaking in court
Madison Mogen’s stepdad, Scott Laramie, and Karen Laramie were first of the victims’ families to testify.
Scott Laramie’s voice cracked as he spoke. Kohberger’s eyes locked on the stepfather, occasionally darting to glance at the gallery where people listened intently to the heart wrenching descriptions of Mogen.
Laramie described Mogen as “an easy child to raise.”
“This world was a better place with her in it,” Laramie said. He described how she brightened family events, barbecues and picnics with her bright personality.
“Karen and I are ordinary people, but we lived extraordinary lives because we had Maddie. Maddie was taken senselessly and brutally in a sudden act of evil,” Laramie said.
8:25 a.m.: Second surviving roommate speaks
Dylan Mortenson described panic attacks that force her to relive the trauma of that night relentlessly throughout the years that followed the murders.
“I was too terrified to close my eyes, terrified that if I blinked, someone might be there. I made escape plans everywhere I went,” Mortenson said.
Kohberher’s head bobbed slightly as she spoke. Mortenson ended her testimony with an emphasis on her determination to heal.
“He may have shattered parts of me but I’m still putting myself back together piece by piece,” Mortenson said.
8:20 a.m.: Bryan Kohberger wears bright orange prison jumpsuit
Kohberger entered the courtroom in a orange jumpsuit for his sentencing hearing.
His attorneys asked Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler for a five minute break, which the judge granted.
8:10 a.m.: Victim impact statements begin
A friend read a statement in the courtroom on behalf of surviving Idaho roommate Bethany Funke.
“I hated and still hate that they are gone, but for some reason, I am still here and I got to live. I still think about this every day. Why me? Why did I get to live, and not them?” Funke’s statement read.
For a year after the killings, Funke said she slept in her parents’ rooms.
Funke said she still checks her room every night before bed.
“The fear never really leaves,” her statement read.”For a long time, I could barely get out of bed. But one day I realized, I have to live for them,” it read.
8 a.m.: Bryan Kohberger appears in court for sentencing
Bryan Kohberger appears in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students.
8 a.m.: Not known if Bryan Kohberger will speak after sentencing
His team of defense attorneys, led by Anne Taylor, announced last week that they won’t be releasing any statements after the sentencing.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson will take part in a news conference after the sentencing is over, along with Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger, Moscow Police Corporal Brett Payne, and Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson.
The news conference is intended to provide some insight into the investigation and key developments in the case, the Moscow Police Department said.
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)
7:45 a.m.: Family of Kaylee Goncalves enters courthouse
The Goncalves family has been outspoken about their opposition to the plea deal Kohberger entered earlier this month.
Steve Goncalves stormed out of the early July hearing, saying the deal denied his family clarity about his daughters last moments, and calling the process “a zoo.”
7 a.m.: How to watch Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing
FOX 13 Seatatle will be live from the courtroom during Bryan Kohberger’s hearing, and it will be streamed on FOX LOCAL, YouTube Live and FOX 13+ (KZJO – cable 110/ch. 22).
Watch the stream in the player above.
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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