The families of the students murdered in Moscow, Idaho in the United States in 2022 reacted differently to Bryan Kohberger pleading guilty on July 2 to first-degree murder in a deal with prosecutors that spares him from the death penalty.
Kohberger had previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and burglary charges in the gruesome homicides that stunned the small college town and drew national media attention.
00:00Murder in the first degree, as it relates to the murder of Madison Mogan, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?
00:07Guilty.
00:07As to count three, as it relates to murder in the first degree for the murder of Kaylee Gonsalves, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?
00:14Guilty.
00:30My role and power in considering a plea agreement is extremely limited.
00:49My role is to ensure that the defendant's plea is given freely, voluntarily, and intelligently.
00:55If those things are met, I can only reject a plea, such as the one in this case, where I'm not being asked to agree to the sentence in advance.
01:04Finally, I want to offer my apologies to all the families, including the victim's families, the families of the defendant, for the short notice for today's hearing, and I'm sure what must have been the hurried efforts to get here.
01:25I will be reading a statement of gratitude today from the Laramies.
01:43962 days ago, we lost our Maddie, our kind, loving, vivacious, and caring daughter, full of purpose and promise.
01:53We are grateful for the gift of her life, and we have grieved the loss of that life during each of these 962 days.
02:01We support the plea agreement 100%.
02:05While we know there are some who do not support it, we ask that they respect our belief that this is the best outcome possible for the victims, their families, and the state of Idaho.
02:14We extend our deep gratitude to the many law enforcement officers and staff who work tirelessly to obtain the critical evidence that brought justice today.
02:22For all parents who have endured the loss of a child, we know recovery is a long and at times an almost unbearable journey.
02:31But you are not alone, and there is hope and there is healing.
