BOISE, Idaho (AP) 鈥� Bryan Kohberger is to plead guilty to murder in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty.
Here鈥檚 what to know about the case and the recent developments:
Who were the victims and who is the suspect?
, 30, is accused in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at a home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.
Kohberger, then a criminal justice graduate student at nearby Washington State University, was weeks after the killings. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene.
What has happened so far in the case?
Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder in the stabbings. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
When initially asked to enter a plea in 2023, , prompting the judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
The northern Idaho farming community of about 25,000 people was rocked by the killings and hadn鈥檛 seen a homicide in about five years. The to Boise after the defense expressed concerns that Kohberger couldn鈥檛 get a fair trial where the killings occurred.
What do we know about the plea deal?
Kohberger鈥檚 trial was set to start in August and was expected to last more than three months. But after his attorneys failed to have execution stricken as a possible punishment, he .
An attorney for the family of Goncalves confirmed that families of the victims received news of the plea deal in a letter from prosecutors Monday.
鈥淲e are beyond furious at the State of Idaho,鈥� Goncalves鈥� family wrote in a Facebook post. 鈥淭hey have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.鈥�
The prosecutors said they met with available family members last week, including some members of the Goncalves family, before deciding to make Kohberger an offer.
A spokesperson for the family of Chapin said they support the deal, while an attorney for Mogen鈥檚 mother and stepfather, declined to give their views before Wednesday鈥檚 hearing.
What did prosecutors plan to show at trial?
Court filings have shown that prosecutors intended to introduce evidence including Kohberger鈥檚 鈥渃lick history鈥� at Amazon.com with the purchased of a Ka-Bar knife 鈥� a military-style, fixed-blade knife 鈥� along with a sheath and sharpener months before the killings. A Ka-Bar knife sheath was found next to one of the victims.
Prosecutors had also said they also intended to introduce what appears to be a self-portrait Kohberger took on his phone just hours after the killings. In it, he is smiling and giving a thumbs-up gesture.
A roommate who was in the home that morning, sleeping and intoxicated, told police she woke up and saw a man she didn鈥檛 know 鈥� someone with 鈥渂ushy eyebrows鈥� who was wearing a face mask, prosecutors have said.
No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the attacker who were in the home at the time. Authorities have said cellphone data and surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims鈥� neighborhood at least a dozen times before the four students were slain.
In a court filing, Kohberger鈥檚 lawyers said he was on a around the time the four were killed.
What鈥檚 next?
A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday in Boise, where the case was moved due to pretrial publicity in northern Idaho. If Kohberger pleads guilty as expected, he would likely be sentenced in July.
Judges may reject plea agreements in Idaho, though such moves are rare. If a judge rejects a plea agreement, the defendant is allowed to withdraw the guilty plea.
The court has issued a that has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial.
The Associated Press
