Bryan Kohberger intends to plead guilty to murder in the Idaho student stabbings to prevent a death penalty sentence.

Bryan Kohberger has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to charges of murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal structured to avert the death penalty, according to an attorney representing the family of one of the victims. Shanon Gray, the lawyer for the family of Kaylee Goncalves, confirmed on Monday that the prosecutor’s office communicated the plea deal to the families involved earlier that day, leading to significant dissatisfaction among the victims’ relatives.

The Goncalves family expressed their outrage in a Facebook post, stating they felt failed by the State of Idaho. They noted their reaction to the news was one of shock and dismay, asserting that they had engaged in discussions with prosecutors just days before, where they clearly articulated their opposition to any plea deal that did not involve a pursuit of the death penalty. The family emphasized that their efforts to advocate for harsher penalties were met with what they perceived as indifference from the prosecution.

A change of plea hearing has been initially scheduled for Wednesday; however, the Goncalves family has requested a delay in the proceedings to allow them additional time to travel to Boise. Kohberger’s trial, originally set for August in Boise, was moved from Idaho’s rural northern region due to extensive pretrial publicity surrounding the case.

Kohberger, 30, is accused of the brutal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen, which occurred early on November 13, 2022, in a rental property near the university campus in Moscow, Idaho. Autopsy results revealed the victims were likely asleep at the time of the attacks, with some sustaining defensive wounds and all being stabbed multiple times.

At the time of the incident, Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, located approximately 9 miles west of the University of Idaho. He was apprehended in Pennsylvania, where he had returned to live with his parents, weeks later. Investigators identified him as a suspect through DNA evidence collected from a knife sheath left at the crime scene and matched to Kohberger.

Despite the prosecutor’s structured plea deal intended to prevent years of legal appeals and prolonging the case, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the motive for the killings. The murders profoundly impacted the local community, which had not experienced a homicide in five years, prompting a comprehensive manhunt for the suspect. The investigation involved tracking down a white sedan seen in the vicinity of the crime scene and analyzing Kohberger’s movements leading up to the fatalities.

As the legal proceedings continue, the families of the victims seek justice, grappling with the complexities of the judicial process and its implications for their loved ones.