Bryan Kohberger given four life sentences for murders of Idaho college students: Live updates

Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to quadruple murder of University of Idaho students

Family members and friends of the victims - Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 - gave powerful statements in court, remembering their loved ones and speaking about the anger and devastation they felt after the killings. Speakers teared up on the stand and occasionally addressed Kohberger directly, demanding answers about his actions.

“You’re a textbook case of insecurity disguised as control, your patterns are predictable, your motives are shallow,” said Alivea Goncalves, whose sister was killed. “You are not profound, you are pathetic. You aren’t special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. Don’t ever get it twisted again.”

When asked by the judge if he'd like to make a statement, Kohberger, 30, said "I respectfully decline."

He was given four consecutive life sentences plus 10 years for burglary and $270,000 in fines. His plea deal allowed him to avoid the death penalty. The sentencing comes nearly three years after the students were found stabbed to death in a rental house near the University of Idaho campus, shocking the quiet college town of Moscow and the nation.

Kohberger declines to speak at sentencing

After statements from victims and the prosecution concluded, Judge Steven Hippler gave Kohberger the opportunity to speak.

"I take it you are declining?" Hippler said.

"I respectfully decline," Kohberger replied.

'I have forgiven you,' victim's aunt tells Kohberger

Victim impact statements concluded with speeches from several members of Xana Kernoodle’s family, including Kim Kernoodle, her aunt. She offered forgiveness to Kohberger and asked him to reach out to her if he ever wants to explain his actions.

“Brian, I’m here today to tell you I have forgiven you because I no longer could live with that hate in my heart and for me to become a better person, I have forgiven you” she said. 

Xana Kernoodle’s uncle, Stratton, also spoke about the impact on Kohberger’s family, saying he has “contaminated, tainted their family name and pretty much made it a horrible miserable thing to ever be related to him."

“I know that that’s what he has to live with, and that has to be his pain,” he said.

‘You picked the wrong families,’ victim’s father says

Steve Goncalves described the way investigators and family members began working together immediately in the aftermath of his daughter's murder to track Kohberger down, calling him “careless,” “foolish,” “stupid” and “a complete joke.”

“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,” he said. “You tried to break our community apart. You tried to plant fear. You tried to divide us. You failed.”

Alivea Goncalves called Kohberger a “sociopath, psychopath, murderer” and fired off a barrage of questions about his crimes, demanding he "sit up straight" while she addressed him.

"How was your life right before you murdered my sisters? Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your apartment? Please detail what you were thinking and feeling at this time. Why did you choose my sisters?" she asked, referring to Goncalves and Mogen.

'We will not waste words' on Kohberger

Scott Laramie, Mogen’s stepfather told the court that he supports Kohberger’s plea agreement and “will remain united” with the families of the other victims. 

“As for the defendant, we will not waste the words, nor will we fall into hatred and bitterness,” he said.

Kim Cheely, Mogen's grandmother, also expressed support for the plea deal and thanked prosecutors for “their dedication and painstaking work that forced the perpetrator to admit his guilt.”

“The plea deal the prosecution team reached this month is one that punishes the perpetrator of this horrendous crime, protects the public from further harm and allows all of us who knew and loved these kids the time to grieve without the anxiety of the long and gruesome trial, the years of appeals and potential for mistrials along the way,” she said.

Laramie described his “bright, beautiful, kind, empathic” stepdaughter, who loved music festivals and was working to become a marketing professional. Laramie said his wife, Karen, were overcome with grief at losing their only child.

“We speak of hope and healing and we do have hope and some healing, but the vast emotional wound will never fully heal,” he said. “Since Maddie’s loss there is emptiness in our hearts, home and family. An endless void.”

'I was grieving, numb': Sentencing begins with powerful statements from surviving roommates

The hearing began with a statement from Bethany Funke, one of the survivors who was in the house the night of the murders. In the statement, which was read by a friend, Funke recounted the confusion and fear she felt while calling 911.

“I was grieving, numb, and unsure what had happened was even real,” the statement said.

In the aftermath of the killings, Funke said she felt "sick with guilt” that she survived as she received death threats on social media and was harassed by the media.

“I have not slept through a single night since this happened, I constantly wake up in panic, terrified someone is breaking in or someone is here to hurt me or I’m about to lose someone else that I love,” she wrote. “The fear never really leaves.” 

Funke also shared some of her favorite memories of her friends, from Halloween parties and movie nights to pranks and the “storybook love and true romance” between Kernoodle and Chapin.

“I hope that they are remembered for who they are, not what happened to them because who they are, were so beautiful and they deserve to be remembered in the highest way," Funke wrote.

Dylan Mortensen, another surviving roommate, then tearfully described “the panic attacks, the hypervigilance and the exhaustion” she’s suffered in the wake of the murders.

“What he did shattered me in places I didn’t know could break,” she said. 

“He may have shattered parts of me, but I’m still putting myself back together, piece by piece,” Mortensen later added.

Spectators, victim’s family and media arrive for sentencing

News crews and members of the public have gathered outside of the courthouse to await Kohberger’s sentencing. 

Seating in the courtroom is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and the hearing will be streamed in an overflow room in the courthouse, the court said. More than 50 people were already lined up outside the courthouse before dawn, including some who waited overnight, CBS News reported.

Denise Feldman-Ersland told CNN she arrived at 8 p.m. on Tuesday in hopes of getting a seat inside to show support for the families of the victims.

“Mostly, I want to see the families get some sort of closure,” she told the outlet. “I know it’s not the closure that many of them want. It’s not the closure I want to see. I think we should have gone to trial, but our legal system works in many different ways.”

How to watch Bryan Kohberger's sentencing hearing

The public will be able to watch Kohberger's sentencing in person at the Ada County Courthouse and via livestream, according to the court's website.

Kohberger's sentencing hearing will begin at 9 a.m. local time and "is expected to last the day," with multiple breaks scheduled throughout, the court said.

President Trump wants to know Bryan Kohberger's motive

Questions have long swirled about what drove Kohberger to kill, and even President Donald Trump has asked the judge to make Kohberger explain his motive.

But Kohberger's plea deal doesn't require him to explain his actions. And his attorney, Anne Taylor, previously told USA TODAY his defense team will not comment or provide any information, even after the sentencing.

Prosecutors, police and others connected to the case may shed more light on his motive now that a long-standing gag order has been lifted. And sealed documents and more information about the high-profile case may also soon be made public.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Christopher Cann and Michael Loria

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryan Kohberger given four life sentences for murders of Idaho college students: Live updates