The families of Bryan Kohberger’s victims are detailing their unfathomable losses.
In the moments leading up to the 30-year-old’s sentence for the murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan ChapinMogen’s stepfather Scott Laramie detailed the personal impact of the gruesome killings on their family.
“We speak of hope and healing, and we do have hope and some healing, but the vast emotional wound will never fully heal,” he told Judge Steven Hippler in court July 23. “Since Maddie’s loss, there’s emptiness in our hearts, home and family. An endless void.”
Meanwhile, Laramie declined to address Kohberger by name, only stating that the public “needs to be protected against this evil.”
“We can only hope that others out there suffering similar losses can look to us and see that we can overcome hatred, darkness and evil,” he said. “Evil has many faces, and we now know this, but evil does not deserve our time and attention.”
Kohberger, who initially faced the death penalty if convicted, formally pled guilty to all four counts of murder as well as one count of burglary July 2 after striking a plea deal with prosecutors. While the agreement consisted of a fixed life sentence for the killings as well as 10 years for the burglary charge, Hippler ultimately had the power to choose whether to accept the deal.
After news of the deal became public, some of the victims’ loved ones reacted to the development including Goncalves’ family, who said they were “beyond furious” about the prosecutors’ decision.
