After entering a guilty plea to the heinous 2022 stabbings of four University of Idaho students—Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves—Bryan Kohberger, 30, a former Ph.D. candidate in criminology, stunned the country.
Kohberger, a former student at Washington State University, is accused of breaking into their Moscow, Idaho, off-campus house early on November 13 and killing them there.
Accepted in June 2025, Kohberger’s plea agreement spares him from the death penalty but requires him to serve four consecutive life terms without the possibility of release.
Families of some victims, such as the Mogens, were relieved that a drawn-out trial was avoided, but the Goncalves family, in particular, fiercely rejected the deal and accused Idaho’s legal system of betraying them.
Who Are Michael Kohberger Jr. and MaryAnn Kohberger?
Bryan Kohberger’s parents are Michael Kohberger Jr., a former school maintenance worker, and MaryAnn Kohberger, a retired paraprofessional.
Both worked at Pennsylvania’s Pleasant Valley School District and were subpoenaed in 2023 regarding their son’s case .
After his December 2022 arrest at their home, they expressed sympathy for the victims but emphasized his “presumption of innocence” .
