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  • 2 days ago
Bryan Kohberger has finally been sentenced after admitting to murdering 4 University of Idaho college students -- with the victims' families telling him exactly how they feel.

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Transcript
00:00Well it was not unexpected. The judge in the Brian Koberger murder case with the four Idaho students
00:07sentenced Koberger to four consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole.
00:15So Brian Koberger will spend the rest of his days in prison. Today was his sentencing hearing
00:22and before he was actually sentenced the victim's families spoke. It was heart-wrenching
00:33and one of the victims, kind of a different victim here, it's actually a survivor, Dylan Mortensen.
00:44She was the person who was in that house when she saw the bushy eyebrows of the murderer who we now know as Brian Koberger
00:56and she confronted him face to face. He did not kill her for whatever reason but it has so traumatized her
01:04she said that she has not been able to sleep since the day of those murders which is now a long time ago.
01:12So this is part of what she said.
01:15I had to sleep in my mom's bed because I was too terrified to close my eyes.
01:20Terrified that if I blinked someone might be there.
01:25I made escape plans everywhere I went. If something happens how do I get out?
01:31What can I use to defend myself? Who can I help?
01:36Then there are the panic attacks.
01:39The kind that slam into me like a tsunami out of nowhere.
01:42I can't breathe.
01:46I can't think.
01:48I can't stop shaking.
01:50I mean it is just...
01:53It's hard to hear but it's so real.
01:56You know they were all standing at the podium facing the judge
01:59and she actually got so worked up that she had to sit down
02:03so that's why you see her sitting in the prosecutor's chair there.
02:05It's really terrible.
02:09Okay.
02:10Zanna's aunt.
02:11Zanna is one of the victims.
02:13Kim also talked to the judge.
02:17I'm here today to tell you I have forgiven you
02:20because I no longer could live with that hate in my heart
02:25and for me to become a better person.
02:28I have forgiven you.
02:30And anytime you want to talk and tell me what happened
02:33get my number.
02:34I'm here.
02:36No judgment.
02:37Because I do have answers
02:38or questions that I want you to answer.
02:41And I'm here.
02:45I'll be that one that'll listen to you.
02:47Okay?
02:48I know.
02:50It's very big of her.
02:52It's...
02:53Man.
02:54Okay.
02:55There were a lot of people who testified.
02:57One of them is somebody who's been outspoken
03:00since the murders.
03:02Steve Gonsalves who is Kaylee's dad.
03:06He did not hold back.
03:07Today, we are here to finish what you started.
03:12Within hours, we had your white car on the camera.
03:15You were that careless, that foolish, that stupid.
03:21Master degree, you're a joke.
03:24One last thing.
03:25You picked the wrong family
03:27and we're laughing at you on your trip to Penn.
03:31I will be today.
03:32Wow.
03:33So Brian Koberger had the choice of speaking to the judge.
03:42It really would have done no good
03:44no matter what he would say.
03:47And forgetting about the heinousness of what he did,
03:52in his plea bargain, he agreed to this sentence
03:56and agreed to forego any appeal.
03:59So no matter what he said,
04:01this was the sentence he was going to get.
04:04So the question was,
04:06would he make a statement,
04:08not so much to try and beg for mercy,
04:11but sometimes they make statements
04:14to almost thumb their nose
04:16or to say something
04:18knowing it is kind of their last stand
04:21never to be heard again.
04:22Yeah, or even like Donald Trump recently called for him
04:25to like explain,
04:26even give a little bit of something
04:27of why he did this.
04:29So I think some people were hoping
04:30he would say something like that.
04:33They did say in the sentencing
04:34that I wanted to ask you about,
04:36they said, you know, there's no appeal,
04:38but he does have the option
04:39to have a letter of appeal.
04:41What's the difference between those two things?
04:44Functionally, he cannot change this.
04:47He has waived all of his rights
04:50and they made that really, really clear
04:53during the hearing
04:55where the judge took the plea.
04:58So Brian Koberger will be spending
05:00the rest of his life in prison,
05:03but you can hear the residue
05:06of what happened
05:08is probably going to last a lifetime
05:10for everybody you just heard.
05:12Hi, my name is Trinity Mitchell
05:14and I am from Fort Worth, Texas.
05:15This is such a controversial plea deal
05:19because the public has been so involved
05:21and invested in this case.
05:24While I am so relieved
05:25that the family has some peace
05:27and can begin their healing,
05:29a part of me wishes
05:30that we knew that motive.
05:32Just like President Donald Trump says,
05:34the family deserves to know
05:36why he did this.
05:37I mean, but what do you expect the family,
05:39what do you expect him to do?
05:41To explain it where it's going
05:42to make any sense?
05:43I mean, what could he possibly say
05:46that is going to satisfy anybody
05:49when he walks in a house
05:52and slaughters four strangers?
05:53I mean, what could he possibly say?
05:55He could just tell them, like, his motive
05:58just so the family can begin their peace
06:00and begin their healing.
06:02Because this is,
06:04going through a whole trial,
06:06at least they can know the steps
06:08and the evidence of what was happening.
06:12Because everything has been private,
06:14especially towards the family,
06:16because they don't know.
06:17So the families are divided.
06:18Half of the families wanted this plea deal
06:21and the other half...
06:22Yeah, they're right.
06:23They didn't want it.
06:24They wanted the death penalty.
06:25And I get it.
06:26But again, what you're saying is
06:28that somehow the family would get peace.
06:30In some ways, I think it's the opposite.
06:31Because there's nothing logical
06:33or nothing you could make sense of
06:35if he explains what twisted reason
06:39he had for killing four strangers.
06:41So in a way,
06:43it just accentuates the tragedy
06:45for him to give some bizarre, meaningless message.
06:49That's true.
06:50I mean, fortunately,
06:51we are not in the family's position
06:55and we don't know what they're going through.
06:58and we can't speak for the families.
07:02Just hopefully that now that this part is over,
07:06that they can go and move forward with their lives.
07:10Yeah, listen, I hope you're right.
07:13I mean, I saw this with Adam Walsh,
07:15you know, who lost his son
07:16and he was able to, you know,
07:18move on with his life.
07:20But man, you watch this.
07:22It is hard.

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