Idaho prosecutors say they wanted to spare the families of four University of Idaho students killed in November 2022 by agreeing to a plea deal that would see the confessed killer avoid a possible death sentence.

Instead, Bryan Kohberger will be sentenced this week to life in prison without parole, and he’ll forfeit his right to appeal.

The agreement received mixed reactions from the families of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen, highlighting how the death penalty — and the possibility of it — affects victims’ loved ones, often referred to as survivors or co-victims, in deeply personal ways. They are not a monolithic group; resolution can mean something different to each person.

“Every co-victim of murder is different in what their needs are and are going to be different in how they see those needs being met and are going to be different in how they see justice being served,” said Scott Vollum, a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth who has studied violence, the death penalty and its effect on co-victims.

Had Kohberger gone to trial, there was no guarantee he would have been sentenced to death. If he were, it likely would have been years, even decades, before an execution — and even that would not be certain.

For victims’ families, a death sentence is not the end of a journey but the beginning of one. While some may find solace in the end, for many, even those who support the execution, the intervening years of appeals and uncertainty often reopen old wounds.

For subscribers: Read other families describe their experience with the death penalty and how they grappled with the process and the concept of closure.