From Daily Mail: The families of slain University of Idaho students blasted prosecutors for only alerting them of accused killer Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal in a letter as they begged a judge to reject the agreement.
Kohberger, 30, was due to face a capital murder trial in August for the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; her best friend Madison Mogen, 21; as well as their housemate Xana Kernodle, 20; and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, in November 2022.
But it was revealed on Monday that Latah County prosecutors have offered the former criminology graduate student a deal in which he would plead guilty to the murders and a burglary charge, in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kohberger is expected to appear in court on Wednesday to sign a plea deal. The family of Kaylee Goncalves condemned the agreement, stating the State of Idaho failed them.
“We weren’t even called about the plea; we received an email with a letter attached,” a statement by family members explained. “That’s how Latah County’s Prosecutor’s Office treats murder victims’ families.
“Adding insult to injury, they’re rushing the plea, giving families just one day to coordinate and appear at the courthouse for a plea on July 2.”
Goncalves’ 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, said she her family is calling for the death penalty in this case, and she won’t stay silent about it as what she and the other victims’ families have suffered since the murders has been “beyond comprehension.”
According to Aubrie, delays in the case and the relocating the trial has added to the burdens carried by people “already carrying unimaginable grief,” but they had still been hopeful.
“We’ve believed in the process. We’ve had faith in the system. But at this point, it is impossible not to acknowledge the truth: the system has failed these four innocent victims and their families,” Aubrie wrote on the family’s Facebook page.
“These are not just names or headlines. Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Xana Kernodle were beautiful human beings who touched countless lives,” she wrote. “They are not just ‘The Idaho Four.’ They were sons, daughters, siblings, and friends—real people with real dreams. They deserve to be remembered for who they were in life, not only for the tragedy of their deaths. But before that can truly happen, they deserve justice. Nothing less.”
Steven Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, is calling on the judge for the case to intervene and reject the plea deal.
“If anyone knows Judge [Steven] Hippler… reach out to him and ask him to put his foot down and not accept this offer,” the he said on NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield’s show Monday night.
“This is not justice,” he said, noting that the victims’ families want the death penalty on the table. “This isn’t the will of the victims’ [families]. This is just one person making a decision, and it doesn’t reflect what we’re calling for.”
Goncalves was referring to Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, who he accused of deciding “to play God and decide what this man’s decision should be and not a jury, not his peers.”
“Let’s go for this guy 100 percent. Let’s do it,” Goncalves said.
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