Families of the four University of Idaho murder victims will get the opportunity to speak directly to their children’s admitted killer on Wednesday.

Families of the four University of Idaho murder victims will get the opportunity to speak directly to their children’s admitted killer on Wednesday.

Families of the four University of Idaho murder victims will get the opportunity to speak directly to their children’s admitted killer on Wednesday.

Families of the four University of Idaho murder victims will get the opportunity to speak directly to their children’s admitted killer on Wednesday.

A judge is expected to order Bryan Kohberger to serve four life sentences without parole this week for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago.

Wednesday’s sentencing hearing will give the families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves the opportunity to describe the anguish they’ve felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

The sentencing hearing may last through Thursday.

Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, is scheduled to be sentenced today.

The murder victims — Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — were found stabbed to death in their off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022. Prosecutors laid out key DNA evidence, surveillance footage and cellphone records that linked Kohberger to the killings.

Kohberger, 30, was expected to go through a lengthy and highly publicized trial in August. But in a surprise turn of events, Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2 to murdering the four students as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

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He’s expected to receive four consecutive life sentences, plus 10 years for burglary, according to the deal. He also waived his right to appeal and to challenge the sentence. The agreement doesn’t require Kohberger to explain his motive or actions, which has been one of many unanswered questions in the case as the victims’ families search for answers.

Today, they’ll have the opportunity to address Kohberger face to face as they read victim impact statements. Kohberger will also be given the chance to address the court, but it’s unclear if he will do so since he’s not legally obligated.

Follow the live blog below for the latest updates on what’s happening in court from our own reporting, as well as various reporters and news organizations, including CNN, NewsNation, NBC News and the Associated Press.

ADA COUNTY, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, will be back in court in Ada County at 9 a.m. on Wednesday for sentencing, after formally pleading guilty earlier this month. According to the terms of the deal, Kohberger is expected to be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.

Kohberger agreed to the plea deal just weeks before his trial was set to begin, after the defense tried but failed to strike the death penalty. The plea was met with mixed emotions from the families of the four victims.

In court on Wednesday, victims and families will have a chance to give impact statements, prior to the judge’s sentencing. Kohberger will also have the opportunity to speak, should he choose to do so.

Judge Steven Hippler says it’s possible that Wednesday’s hearing could last more than one day to accommodate all of the victim impact statements.

Watch the live stream from the courtroom below (Court will begin at 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 23):

LATEST UPDATES:

8:30 a.m.: The line outside the Ada County Courthouse began to form around 9 p.m. on Tuesday night. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis.

RELATED: TIMELINE — Bryan Kohberger and the murders of 4 Idaho college students

Crime & Safety Bryan Kohberger Could Explain Why He Killed 4 Idaho College Students Kohberger, who was arrested for the murders at his parents’ Pennsylvania home, will face the victims’ families at a Wednesday hearing.

Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse on July 2 in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

BOISE, ID — Bryan Kohberger, a Pennsylvania native who was arrested more than two years ago at his parents’ home in the Poconos, will have a final chance at his sentencing hearing Wednesday to explain why he killed four Idaho college students in November 2022.

Kohberger’s sentencing hearing comes after he pleaded guilty earlier this month in a deal to avoid the death penalty for murdering Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin in the rural college town of Moscow, Idaho. At the sentencing hearing, Kohberger, 30, will have an opportunity to speak, as will the loved ones of his victims — but whether those families will get any answers about why he did it or how he came to target the home on King Road in Moscow remains to be seen.

Kohberger is expected to be sentenced to life in prison. Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University, which is a short drive from the scene of the killings across the state border.

Investigators later pieced together DNA evidence collected from a knife sheath found at the home that identified Kohberger as a possible suspect. They also accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements and used surveillance camera footage to help locate a white sedan that was seen repeatedly driving past the home on the night of the killings. Authorities arrested Kohberger at his parents’ Pennsylvania home in December 2022, nearly seven weeks after the killings. A Q-tip from the garbage at his parents’ house was used to match Kohberger’s DNA to genetic material from the sheath, investigators said

A grand jury indicted Kohberger in May 2023, and he stood silent in court before a judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. His trial was set to begin next month. In exchange for Kohberger admitting guilt and waiving his right to appeal, prosecutors agreed not to seek his execution. Instead, both sides agreed to recommend that he serve four consecutive life sentences without parole for the killings. If they know why Kohberger did it, investigators haven’t said so publicly. Nor is it clear why he spared two roommates who were home at the time. Cellphone location data did show Kohberger had been in the neighborhood multiple times before the attack.

The families and surviving roommates of the victims will have the opportunity during the sentencing hearing to describe the damage the killings have done to them. Because there are so many of them, the hearing could stretch into Thursday. Kohberger will also have the opportunity to speak. Defendants sometimes use such chances to express remorse, ask for mercy, or to say whatever else they think the court should hear before sentencing. But Kohberger also has the right to remain silent. Friends and family members have sought to commemorate the victims’ lives by raising money for scholarships and other initiatives. Ethan’s Smile Foundation, started by Chapin’s family, honors his “love of life, people, and new adventures by providing scholarships that enable others to follow their dreams,” its website says. The Made With Kindness Foundation honors the legacy of Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle through scholarships, wellness support and empowerment initiatives. “Our mission is to inspire and uplift the next generation, turning their dreams into realities in a world that values compassion and community,” its website says.

Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were killed Sunday, November 13, 2022 off campus at the University of Idaho. Obtained by CNN

A lighthearted junior in college who was loved by many. A freshman described as kind and loyal. And two seniors in college who were anticipating graduation and were called “smart” and “vigilant.”

These are the four college students who were fatally stabbed at an off-campus house in 2022:

Madison Mogen: “Maddie,” as she was affectionately known, was a senior preparing to graduate college with a business degree, her father, Ben Mogen, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. He described his 21-year-old daughter as a bright, bubbly girl that loved to watch live music with him. According to the University of Idaho, she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Kaylee Goncalves: Goncalves, 21, was a senior majoring in general studies and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority, according to the university. Her older sister, Alivea Goncalves, described her and Mogen as “smart,” “vigilant” and “careful” in a statement to the Idaho Statesman on behalf of their families.

Xana Kernodle: Kernodle, 20, was a junior studying marketing and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, the university said. Her sister, Jazzmin Kernodle, called her “so positive, funny and was loved by everyone who met her.” She said her sister was “so lighthearted, and always lifted up a room.”

Ethan Chapin: Chapin, 20, was one of a set of triplets, who enrolled at the University of Idaho, the family said in a statement. He was a freshman majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, the university said. His mother, Stacy Chapin, described her son as a “kind, loyal, loving son, brother, cousin, and friend,” and said he “lit up every room he walked into.”