Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for the murders of four University of Idaho students, a crime that shocked the quiet college town of Moscow nearly three years ago.

The sentencing hearing allowed the families of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves to speak publicly about the devastation they’ve endured since 13 November 2022, the day their loved ones were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus home.

At the time of the killings, Kohberger was pursuing graduate studies in criminology at Washington State University, located just across the state line. Prosecutors say he entered the students’ rental house through a sliding kitchen door and murdered the four victims, with no apparent personal connection to any of them.

The case initially baffled investigators. With no suspects, fear spread quickly across the community. Many students from both Washington State and the University of Idaho opted to leave town mid-semester, shifting to remote classes amid growing anxiety about a killer still at large.

Investigators were eventually able to piece together events based on the sheath for a large knife recovered near Mogen’s body, containing a single trace of male DNA on its button snap. Surveillance footage also captured a white Hyundai Elantra circling the area around the house close to the time of the killings.

Utilizing genetic genealogy, authorities linked the DNA to Kohberger. Phone records placed him near the crime scene that night, and online purchase history revealed that he had previously bought a military-style knife and a matching sheath.

Kohberger was taken into custody in Pennsylvania nearly six weeks after the slayings. During his arraignment, he declined to enter a plea, prompting the judge to do so on his behalf: not guilty.

Latah county prosecutor Bill Thompson announced early on that he intended to pursue the death penalty. In response, Kohberger’s defense team, led by Anne Taylor, contested the reliability of the DNA evidence and asked repeatedly for the death penalty to be taken off the table.

These legal challenges proved unsuccessful as Kohberger ultimately agreed to plead guilty. In exchange, prosecutors dropped their pursuit of capital punishment.

The plea deal includes four life sentences to be served back-to-back, an additional 10-year sentence for burglary and a waiver of Kohberger’s right to appeal.