Idaho Students Killer Bryan Kohberger Gets Life In Prison; Trump Says 'Judge Should've...'

Last Updated:July 23, 2025, 23:47 IST

Donald Trump had weighed in saying that the judge should make Bryan Kohberger answer why he committed the murders.

Bryan Kohberger, 30, appears for his sentencing hearing after he was convicted in the 2022 stabbing deaths of four Idaho college students, at the Ada County Courthouse, in Boise, Idaho, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Bryan Kohberger, the University of Idaho Ph.D student, who murdered four Idaho college students, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole on Wednesday by judge Steven Hippler at an Idaho court.

Kohberger declined a chance to address the court and explain his motives, according to a blog post by the New York Times.

Judge Hippler said Kohberger was a “coward" who had “slithered" into a home in Moscow, Idaho and fatally stabbed Kaylee Goncalves (21), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20) and Ethan Chapin, (20). He had no known relationship to the victims.

The 30-year-old also stabbed Dylan Mortensen, who survived the attack. “Because of him, four beautiful, genuine, compassionate people were taken from this world for no reason," Mortensen was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Judge Steven Hippler handed down four life sentences, saying they would run consecutively. The kin of the deceased lashed out at Kohberger inside the court and said that they hoped he would face violence in jail and calling him a coward and a failure. Randy Davis, the stepfather of one of the victims, told him to “go to hell".

Kohberger agreed to four consecutive life sentences as part of a plea deal that allows him to avoid execution for the fatal stabbing of the four University of Idaho students early on November 13, 2022.

Even President Donald Trump weighed in on the sentencing of Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students. In a post on social media, Trump wrote, “I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders. There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed his sentiment at a briefing in Washington, saying, “If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls."

But when given the opportunity to speak in court on Wednesday, Kohberger simply leaned forward and said, “I respectfully decline." From the courtroom gallery, a family member of one of the victims responded aloud: “Coward."

Kohberger, a Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, was not identified as a suspect for several weeks.

Investigators used DNA from a knife sheath found at the crime scene to build a genetic family tree that eventually led to him. His background in criminology quickly drew public attention as he had studied high-profile murders and worked under an expert in serial killers.

Text messages revealed that in the hours following the killings, the surviving roommates discussed seeing a masked person inside the house. However, they appeared unaware that a quadruple homicide had taken place. It wasn’t until more than seven hours later, after other friends arrived, that a 911 call was placed.

Ada County, Idaho

News world Idaho Students Killer Bryan Kohberger Gets Life In Prison; Trump Says 'Judge Should've...'