BOISE, Idaho – Sentencing is underway in a packed courtroom in Boise, Idaho for the man who killed four University of Idaho students.
You can watch the live stream here.
Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month to killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022.
He changed his plea, meaning he would no longer face the death penalty.
Prosecutors and the defense agreed Kohberger should face four consecutive life sentences, one each for victims Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen.
The Chapin family was not at the sentencing, saying previously they would spend the day as a family elsewhere.
Bethany Funke/Surviving Roommate statement:
“Never in a million years would I have thought that something like this would happen to my closest friends,” a friend read on her behalf.
Funke said she carries guilt and regret for not calling 911, but she knows it would not have made a difference.
“I was so frantic that morning and scared to death, not knowing what happened,” her statement read.
“That was the worst day of my life and I know it always will be.”
She said she was the subject of death threats and rumors, as she tried to grieve the loss of her friends.
Funke said she slept in her parents’ room for more than a year.
“I have not slept through a single night since this happened,” her statement said.
“They did not get the chance to keep living, but I do. Everything I do, I do with them in mind.”
Dylan Mortensen/Surviving Roommate
“What happened that night changed everything. Because of him, our beautiful, genuine, passionate people were taken from this world for no reason,” Mortensen said through tears.
“He took away the ability for me to tell them I loved him and I’m so proud of them. He took away birthdays, graduations, celebrations and all the memories we’re supposed to make. All of it is gone. And all the people who love them are left to carry that forever.”
Mortensen and Funke both talked about living their lives in fear, experiencing panic attacks and constant fear of being attacked.
“I’m still putting myself back together,” Mortensen said. “It’s not easy, it hurts, but I’m still trying. I’m not trying just for me, I’m trying for them – my friends.”
“He is a hollow vessel, less than human. He chose destruction, he chose evil,” she said about Kohberger.
Living, she said, is how she honors her friends.
Scott Laramie, Madison Mogen’s Step-Father
Madison Mogen’s step-father stood with Maddie’s mom Karen by his side.
“Maddie was our gift, life, purpose and home,” Laramie said. “Maddie was bright, beautiful, kind and ethic.”
Laramie described Maddie as an easy child to raise with a great sense of humor who did well in school.
He said she prioritized her family, even in her teenage years.
“This world was a better place with her in it,” he said.
“Maddie was taken senselessly and brutally in an act of evil,” Laramie said.
“We speak of hope and healing and we do have some hope and some healing, but the vast emotional wounds will never fully heal.”
“We will grow old without our only child,” he said.
Laramie said he would not waste their words on Kohberger.
“Evil does not deserve our time and attention. We are done being victims. We are taking back our lives,” Laramie said.
Statement on behalf of Karen Laramie
Attorney Leander James read a statement on behalf of Madison’s mom Karen.
The statement says in part, “For Maddie’s sake, we will move on.”
She said they can’t forgive Kohberger now and maybe never can, his acts of violence too heinous.
Madison Mogen’s Grandmother Kim
Madison’s mom says the plea agreement brings justice and spares the families and friends the agony of an ongoing trial and appeals.
They thanked Idaho State Police, Moscow Police, the prosecutor’s office, the FBI and the University of Idaho.
“Maddie was my first grandchild,” she said.
She recalled special nights with Maddie, complete with bubble baths and books. After Maddie died, Kim got a tattoo that matches the one Maddie and her sorority sisters have.
“When the four kids were murdered,” she said, “the foundation fell out of our world.”
She said she and her family have experienced traumatic grief and that she’s tried everything from books to therapy to get through.
Benjamin Mogen, Maddie’s Dad
Maddie’s dad first thanked everyone who brought the case to resolution.
“I think everyone worked so hard and I appreciate all their efforts,” he said.
“Maddie was my only child. She’s the only great thing I ever really did and I’m proud of,” he said through tears.
Mogen said Maddie was his favorite person to go to concerts with. He said he thought he and his daughter would have more time.
Mogen also read the last thing Maddie wrote him, which was a Father’s Day card she sent the June before her murder.
He said he went through struggles with addiction and abuse and Maddie is what kept him from giving up.
“I love you Maddie,” he concluded. “I wish you were still here.”
Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s Father
As Steve Goncalves began his testimony, he swung the podium around to face Kohberger and address him directly.
“Today, you’ve lost control. Today, we’re here to prove to the world, you picked the wrong families, the wrong police officers and the wrong community,” he said.
“You tried to break our community apart,” Goncalves said. “Instead you’ve united everyone in their disgust for you.”
He told Kohberger that he was “careless” and “stupid” and that his degree in criminology was “a joke.”
“Nobody cares about you,” he said. “From this moment, we’ll forget you.”
Alivea Goncalves Stevenson, Kaylee’s Sister
Alivea Goncalves Stevenson spoke about her little sister and about Maddie, saying “in a world that rejected you, they would have shown mercy.”
“I’m angry. Every day I’m angry,” she said.
She said she planned to read the thoughts she’s compiled over the years, but said Kohberger didn’t deserve it and that Kaylee and Maddie didn’t need it.
“I won’t offer you tears, I won’t offer you trembling,” she said to Kohberger. “Instead, I will call you what you are – psychopath, sociopath, murderer.”
She told Kohberger to “sit up straight” as she asked him a series of questions about the crime.
“How was your life right before you murdered my sisters? Did you prepare for the crime before you left your apartment?”
“Where is your murder weapon, the clothes you were wearing that night, what was the second weapon you used on Kaylee, what were Kaylee’s last words?”
“Do you feel anything at all?” she asked.
“You’re not profound, you’re pathetic,” she said. “No one is scared of you today… no one is impressed by you.”
She ended by saying, “If you wouldn’t have attacked them in the middle of the night, Kaylee would have kicked your f*cking ass.”
Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee’s Mom
Kaylee’s mom also addressed Kohberger directly, saying the men in the prison would take care of him.
“You’re entering a place where no one will care who you are… you will always be remembered as a loser.”
“May you continue to live your life in misery. You are officially the property of the State of Idaho where your fellow prisoners are waiting for you,” she said.
Jazzmin Kernodle, Xana’s Sister
“This moment isn’t about you, it’s about justice for Xana, Ethan, Kaylee and Maddie,” she said.
“Xana was everyone’s best friend,” she said. “She had a radiant energy that everyone loved and she always knew how to approach a problem.”
“She truly did live every day to the fullest.”
“For your sake, I hope one day you feel the full weight of what you did,” she told Kohberger. “Xana deserved more – they all did.”
Jeff Kernodle, Xana’s Dad
Xana’s dad recalled past phone calls with his youngest daughter. He said he misses those weekend calls the most.
He talked about the impact she made in the world.
Kernodle said the ultimate goal for his daughters was that they would graduate from college. He talked about how Xana didn’t get that opportunity.
Cara Northington, Xana’s Mom
Xana’s mom read a letter she wrote to Kohberger.
“Today I stand before you, the man responsible for murdering my beautiful daughter.”
“She brought joy and laughter to her friends, her family and everyone in her presence,” she said. “Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ now has her in his loving arms in heaven where she can never be harmed for all eternity.”
“Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter without you even being sorry,” she told Kohberger. “This forgiveness has released me from any and all evil you have inflicted on me and my family.”
“Nothing man can do to you can ever prepare you for the wrath of God,” she said.
Xana’s mom said she’s not going to share any more of the goodness of Xana with Kohberger.
“You don’t deserve that,” she told him.
Kohberger will be transported immediately to prison
Kohberger was at the defense table in an orange jumpsuit and shackles. It’s a departure from the suit he wore in his pre-trial hearings.
He sat expressionless through the family members’ and roommates’ emotional testimony.
People camped out overnight and the line stretched around the building, for people not directly affiliated with the case hoping to snag one of the seats in the courtroom.
Kohberger will also be allowed to speak if he chooses to before the sentence is handed down.
This story will be updated throughout the day with new information from the courtroom.
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