Family Of Madison Mogen Responds To Kohberger Guilty Plea Deal In ID Student Murders

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The attorney representing the family of one of Bryan Kohberger's victims, Madison Mogen, reads a statement following his guilty plea deal.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon.

00:26I'm Leander James from the law firm of James Vernon and Weeks in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

00:36I'm a victim's rights attorney.

00:38For the past two years, I've had the privilege and the honor to provide pro bono representation

00:45in this criminal case for Karen Laramie and Scott Laramie, the loving mother and stepfather

00:53of Maddie Mogan.

00:55I will be reading a statement of gratitude today from the Laramies.

01:00962 days ago, we lost our Maddie, our kind, loving, vivacious, and caring daughter full

01:08of purpose and promise.

01:11We are grateful for the gift of her life, and we have grieved the loss of that life during

01:16each of these 962 days.

01:19We love you, Maddie, and we miss you.

01:24We are grateful for the gift of the young, vivacious, promising lives of Kaylee, Zanna,

01:30and Ethan, and we deeply, deeply mourn their senseless loss.

01:37We remain in solidarity with our families and friends, and we continue to shower them with

01:43our prayers and support.

01:45We are grateful for their prayers, love, and support that they have given us.

01:51They have helped us and sustained us during our darkest times.

01:56We are grateful to the prosecutor, Bill Thompson, and his dedicated and caring team, including

02:03victim coordinators, Kim and Stacy, who have helped to guide us through the sometimes confusing

02:10and disorienting legal process.

02:14Thank you for all your dedicated, diligent, and tireless commitment to justice and the

02:19successful outcome reached today.

02:22We support the plea agreement 100%.

02:27While we know there are some who do not support it, we ask that they respect our belief that

02:32this is the best outcome possible for the victims, their families, and the state of Idaho.

02:38We extend our deep gratitude to the many law enforcement officers and staff who worked tirelessly to

02:43obtain the critical evidence that brought justice today, including the Moscow Police Department,

02:49the FBI, the Idaho State Patrol, and the Leyta County Sheriff's Department.

02:56We are deeply grateful to Judge Hitler and Judge John judged before him.

03:02We thank you for your diligence, thoughtfulness, and judicial guidance.

03:07We appreciate the difficult work you have done to balance the rights of all involved and

03:11to uphold the rule of law.

03:14You have had our prayers and support throughout this case.

03:18We send our love and gratitude to the many family and friends who have supported us, cared

03:22for us, and helped us to heal our open emotional wounds.

03:28To the good people of North Idaho who have showered us with kindness and support, we thank you.

03:38We also mourn today with you the recent tragic and senseless loss of two brave North Idaho firefighters.

03:46We extend our prayers and support to their families.

03:49You are not alone.

03:51We understand your pain.

03:54For all parents who have endured the loss of a child, we know recovery is a long and at

04:00times an almost unbearable journey.

04:03But you are not alone.

04:06And there is hope and there is healing.

04:09We thank those in the press who have respected our privacy and the grieving process and the privacy

04:16and grieving process of the families of Kaylee, Zanna, and Ethan.

04:21To others in the press, we gently encourage you to do the same.

04:26We thank the many people across our nation and beyond who have reached out to us, prayed

04:30for us, and extended their kindness.

04:34You too have helped us on our journey to heal.

04:39We now embark on a new path.

04:42We turn from tragedy and mourning.

04:45We turn from darkness and uncertainty of the legal process to the light of the future.

04:51We have closure.

04:53We embark on a path of hope and healing.

04:57We invite all of those who have mourned with us to join us and we wish you well.

05:04I will now share a few words of my own.

05:08For the past two years, I have been amazed and humbled by Karen and Scott's strength,

05:14endurance and faith.

05:16They have uplifted me and so many.

05:20They founded a non-profit to help others in the name of Maddie.

05:24They have been a beacon of hope amidst a dark and tragic time.

05:29To those young and bright attorneys out there looking for purpose and meaning in your profession,

05:32and I invite you to join the effort of crime victim attorneys to bring victims justice with

05:39compassion, empathy, humility, and understanding.

05:45This case is not the end of violence.

05:48This case is not the end of lawlessness.

05:50We need your help to bring hope and healing to the innocent caught in the crossfire of life.

05:57Thank you all.

06:07Sir, could you just say your name one more time?

06:08Leander James, L-E-A-N-D-E-R, last name be James.

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