The family of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves has ripped into prosecutors after receiving notice of suspected killer Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal.
Goncalves was one of four University of Idaho students who were brutally stabbed to death in their Moscow rental home in November 2022.
Kohberger, who has been accused of all four killings, is expected to take a plea deal, according to new reporting Monday.
In response, the Goncalves family wrote on Facebook, “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.”
NewsNation’s Brian Entin reported, citing unnamed sources, that the prosecution had proposed dropping the death penalty in exchange for Kohberger pleading guilty to the murders and serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The suspected killer will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and waives all right to appeal, per ABC News.
Kohberger, who was a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania in late December 2022. Police say his DNA was found on a knife sheath that was left at the crime scene. The murder weapon was never recovered.
Roommates Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, alongside Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were murdered in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
Two other roommates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortenson, were inside the home when the murders occurred, but they were unharmed.
In March, audio from a 911 call made on the day of the murders was released.
Mortenson was heard on the call saying, “Something happened in our house. We don’t know what.”
A female neighbor also chimed in: “They saw some man in their house last night.”
Kohberger’s trial was set to begin on August 18. A hearing for a change of plea is now scheduled for Wednesday.
