Convicted killer Bryan Kohberger was sentenced on Wednesday for the murder of four University of Idaho students. During the sentencing hearing, the families rightfully lambasted Kohberger for taking the lives of the young college students.
Kohberger — who confessed to the grisly crimes — was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for the stabbing murders of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, and 20-year-old Xana Kernodle. Kohberger, 30, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for burglary. The judge ordered Kohberger to pay $290,000 in financial penalties to the victims’ families.
‘A dead killer doesn’t kill again, so while I’m disappointed the firing squad won’t get to take their shots at you, I’m confident that the men in prison will have their way with you in more ways than one.’
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Steven Hippler blasted Bryan Kohberger as a “coward” who “slithered through the sliding glass door at 1122 King Road,” according to ABC News.
“This unfathomable and senseless act of evil has caused immeasurable pain and loss. No parent should ever have to bury their child. This is the greatest tragedy that can be inflicted upon a person,” Hippler stated before announcing Kohberger’s sentence.
Hippler said, “Parents who took their children to college in a truck filled with moving boxes had to bring them home in hearses lined with coffins.”
Steve Goncalves (Left) / Kristi Goncalves (Right). Photo by Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images
Hippler acknowledged that we may never know the motive for why Kohberger murdered the four college students in the early morning hours on Nov. 13, 2022.
“As we sit here today, this case is ending, and we are now certain who committed these unspeakable acts of evil,” Hippler stated. “But we don’t know, and what we may never know, is why.”
“I share the desire expressed by others to understand the ‘why,'” Hippler continued. “But upon reflection, it seems to me, and this is just my own opinion, that by continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance. We give him agency, and we give him power.”
“The need to know what is inherently not understandable makes us dependent upon the defendant to provide us with a reason, and that gives him the spotlight, the attention, and the power he appears to crave,” he said. “Yet, even if I could force him to speak, which legally I cannot, how could anyone ever be assured that what he speaks is the truth?”
Hippler asked, “Do we really believe after all this, he’s capable of speaking the truth or of giving up something of himself to help the very people whose lives he destroyed? Rather, I suspect the so-called reason would be dished out in enticing, self-serving, and aggrandizing untruthful bits, leaving people wanting more information, more insight, and thus enhancing even further the power he seeks to hold.”
‘A delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else.’
Hippler said, “The more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more power and control we give to him. In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger’s 15 minutes of fame.”
When Kohberger was asked to explain why he senselessly murdered the four college students, he responded, “I respectfully decline.”
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump urged Kohberger to reveal his motives for the quadruple murder.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, “If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls.”
“We are so sorry for the grief and the pain you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer,” Leavitt said. “Our nation grieves with you, and we will never forget the precious souls who were lost in this horrific act of evil.”
The families of the slain victims delivered powerful remarks during Kohberg’s sentencing.
KCPQ-TV reported that Steve Goncalves said during the sentencing, “Today, we are here to finish what you started. Today, you’ve lost control. Today, we are here to prove to the world that you picked the wrong families, the wrong state, the wrong police officers, the wrong community.”
“You tried to break our community apart. You tried to plant fear. You tried to divide us. You failed,” he continued. “Instead, your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you.”
The heartbroken father called Kohberger a “complete joke.”
‘Joy is harder to find. Laughter feels foreign. The world moves forward, but I’m suspended in places of sorrow and rage.’
Alivea Goncalves — Kaylee’s older sister — told the courtroom, “Every day I’m angry.”
“I’m left shouting at the inside of my own head everything I wish I could say to you,” the bereaved sister stated.
“I won’t stand here and give you what you want. I won’t offer you tears. I won’t offer you trembling,” she continued. “Disappointments like you thrive on pain, on fear, and on the illusion of power. And I won’t feed your beast. Instead, I will call you what you are: sociopath, psychopath, murderer.”
She called Kohberger a “coward” and a “delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else.”
“No one is scared of you today. No one’s intimidated by you. No one is impressed by you. No one thinks that you are important,” Alivea Goncalves declared. “You orchestrated this like you thought you were God. Now look at you, begging a courtroom for scraps.”
Alivea added, “The truth, is you’re as dumb as they come, stupid, clumsy, slow, sloppy, weak, dirty.”
Kristi Goncalves — the mother of Kaylee Goncalves — stated during the sentencing, “When you murdered my daughter, Kaylee Jade Goncalves, you didn’t just take her life, you shattered others.”
“You attacked what you could never be. And in doing so, you left a trail of devastation far beyond that house. You stole my peace,” the grieving mother explained. “You’ve altered my every waking moment, every sleepless night, the way I view the world, people, safety, trust. It’s all been changed by your cruelty.”
Kristi Goncalves revealed, “I no longer recognize parts of myself. Joy is harder to find. Laughter feels foreign. The world moves forward, but I’m suspended in places of sorrow and rage. You’ve taken from me something that can never be restored. The grief sits with me every day, some days quietly, and other days so loud it drowns out everything else. The emotional toll you’ve inflicted on me is immeasurable. I live with a constant ache with birthdays that are now memorials, with holidays that feel hollow, with empty chairs that scream louder than words ever could. I am forever changed.”
She told Kohberger that he is “pathetic” and “not good at anything.”
“A dead killer doesn’t kill again, so while I’m disappointed the firing squad won’t get to take their shots at you, I’m confident that the men in prison will have their way with you in more ways than one,” Kristi Goncalves proclaimed. “You will finally get what you wanted — physical touch. Just probably not how you were expecting it.”
The heartbroken mother described the convicted killer as a “loser” and an “absolute failure.”
“May you continue to live your life in misery. You are officially the property of the state of Idaho, where your fellow inmates are anxiously awaiting your arrival,” the mother stated. “But it’s okay, because they’re there to help you. Hell will be waiting.”
“A quick message from our youngest daughter: Aubrey wanted to say, ‘You may have received A’s in high school and college, but you’re gonna be getting big D’s in prison,'” Kristi Goncalves stated, which caused the courtroom to erupt in gasps and laughs.
The family of Kaylee Goncalves told ABC News after the sentencing hearing that “the details are more horrific than we can imagine” and that she was stabbed 34 times.
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Bryan kohberger, Bryan kohberger victims, Courtroom drama, Idaho college students, Idaho murders, True crime, Idaho massacre, Crime
